Kenadian

I have a question about RCMP investigations. How do they come about? Is it because someone down at the RCMP office came up with a new or interestine piece of evidence? Or is it because someone on the outside with a particular interest in the matter requested or pressed for an investigation to be made?

Planning an Opening Ceremony is not exactly a common skill. Afterall, the LA, Barcelona and Torino organizers hired Ric Birch and he's as Aussie as a kangaroo - yet I'm pretty certain the Americans, Spanish and Italians are ripe with talent. Then again, maybe there weren't any Canadians in the running? David Atkins has a very impressive resume. The ceremonies for Doha, Sydney and Manchester were exceptional. Better a man of vision and experience to lead the team than an amateur.

Having the roof will mean different challenges and opportunities, but I'm not that concerned with how the roof will impact the ceremonies. The biggest concern I see is that the stadium is rather dirty looking and there does not seem to be any talk of sprucing it up.

How is Canada's image being "kicked around"? I can think of many other countries around the world who are getting a lot more negative press than Canada.

The convention centre project was planned no matter what the outcome of the Olympic bid was. At the time of planning, the current convention centre was deemed too small to compete for bigger conventions. That market changed and is more competitive. But given the recent annoucement of a 50% government surplus, it doesn't seem as if the government is spending as much...likely time for a tax cut.

Surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but within days of being announced as being part of the creative team for the 2010 Ceremonies, music manager Bruce Allen - who also has a radio show program called "Reality Check" - was discussing immigration in Canada. His message to new Canadians was to fit in and follow the laws of the land - although with more forceful words than I have used here. The comments irked local Sihk and Muslim communities, who felt targeted by the comment. They have been protesting the commentary and have asked for Allen's removal from the radio and the VANOC team. Today, Allen issued a mild apology - one of those "I'm sorry you were offended". But some people seem pretty peeved off by it. Note to the GBModerator: a group on Facebook has posted a link asking people to write the IOC and demand that VANOC remove Allen from the team. Problem is, the link they provide is the GamesBids feedback forum. With over 4000 angry Sihks and Muslims joining the group and others lurking, you might get some strongly worded messages in the next few days

Ha ha ha! Of course!

To be honest, I think minimal. Most of the costs and suppliers are local. Doubtful it will also hurt ticket sales or visits from American tourists. Those that can afford to go will go regardless of a few cents on the dollar, those that can't weren't going to go anyway, and those what want to go no are just going to have save up a bit more. Of course, things could change quickly. Wasn't so long ago that people were complaining the Canadian dollar was too low (~65 cents).

Mattygs - I think the music managers were hired for the team because the ceremonies are all packaged as one - opening, closing, nightly medal/victory ceremonies. Those nightly ceremonies are where the music managers come in...their connections in bringing in star talent will be of benefit there.

Wow, didn't realize how far along the construction was, but haven't been down in that area in a while.

By "international" I mean someone who isn't a Canadian. And don't confuse Vancouver's cold weather with the cold weather typical of a Winter Games host. It rarely dips below freezing here. I guess in Whistler, but in snug little BC Place, you'd hardly need a jacket.

Do you think there'd be any room for any international performers?

Perhaps those ceremonies were deemed as being too long? Besides, the Parade of Athletes must be difficult to time, especially since athletes have stopped marching in military style. I think LA was the last time that happened for Summer and Calgary for Winter - got all messy in Seoul - I sort of miss it.

David & Jaime in 2010 and the other two in Sochi?

Judging from the interviews, the ideas aren't cast in stone yet. I'm not surprised. They will want to take this out to the cultural community and conduct facilitated groups to assess the best and most significant ideas. That's the way the creative process for big projects is done these days. Its not just someone scratching down ideas on paper and making them happen. This will be interesting to see as it evolves.

Or maybe the roof will be the stage???

Sounds like a very qualified team. The Doha ceremonies were well executed so I'm hopeful for what this team can do for Vancouver 2010.

It's probably someone from Cirque.

OK, back to topic. So remind me again, how much did the Hartwicks pay for the CV and where is their property deed?

How much global advertising did Torino or Salt Lake do? Vanoc is reaching many of its revenue targets with corporate sponsors. And the Games are still a long ways off. The Olympic world is turning to Beijing. FIFA and the Olympic Winter Games offer different products to different audiences. A figure skating or hockey fan is probably not going to fly to Joburg. And a football fan won't likely book a hotel in Whistler. The measure of the interest in these Games will be determined when tickets go on sale and when the TV ratings come it. A lot of that will be up to Vanoc and how they market themselves. And the ratings will depend on how the national broadcasters promote the Games...and then a lot will just be luck and who the athletes are. Bring in good rivalries like the 1988 and 1994 figure skating contests or the 2002 hockey tourney, a scandal here and there and a few surprising performances, some interesting personalities and shatter a few world records and things will fly high. But Vanoc's focus now isn't on marketing...its on organizing and revenue generation (sponsorships). Marketing pumps up into high gear after Beijing when the Olympic focus turns to the "next" Games. The current target is Canada. After that, the USA and Europe and given Vancouver's Pacific connection, Asia and Australia. Vancouver is also the largest city to host the Olympic Winter Games and it has a pretty sophisticated tourism marketing offering. I don't see Vancouver and South Africa as direct competitors. And since Vancouver's biggest target audience is North America - a market that is largely unaffected by what FIFA does - Vanoc's biggest threat is the other kind of football...you know, the one who has the big XLIV party five days earlier in Miami. Again, limited cross over in a market this big.

And what Olympic architecture from Torino or Salt Lake took your breath away? Fact is, most Winter sports are outdoor events. I doubt a single facility was even built for the first five or six save for a bleacher by a frozen pond or some trees cut down for a ski path. They don't really build big new stadiums like Montreal, Munich, or Beijing or lay out fancy plazas like Barcelona, Sydney, or Athens. Calgary, Lillehammer and Nagano had interesting speed skating and hockey facilities, but a ski jump is a ski jump and an arena is an arena. Well back to the point, whether or not BC Place sticks around, they can still be creative with the place for 2010. A paint job, wrap it in wood, plastic, or fabric, make it look like a forest, a fake igloo, or even a Tim Horton's doughnut...I don't care. It's 25 years old and just dated.

Old. Grey. Dirty. Dull lighting. An acoustic nightmare. Covered in bird droppings. With ricketedy old seats. And a filthy roof made more obvious by the shiny white patch from the recent tear. This uninspiring place needs major sprucing up by 2010 in order to properly welcome the world to the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. I DEMAND IT!!!! Thanks for listening.

I think that's a rather harsh assessment of a Games that have not happened yet. Maybe in some respects Vancouver is a bit boring because they are an incredibly safe city in which to host the Games. Most of the venues and infrastructure are there. And Vancouver is wedged inbetween massive Games in Beijing and London where there is big money being spent on big venues and these Games follow a couple of Olympics in Southern Europe where deadlines were close to not being made. Vanoc's biggest sin? They have managed the organization of the Games well and may be a bit boring because there are no major scandals (this Hartwick thing scores as much as a fart on the Olympic scandal Richeter scale) and no major delays and no massive overuns like in other cities. It is still only 2.5 years out - lots can happen - but at this stage, it is best to be a bit boring so you don't get Olympic fatigue just before the curtain lifts.

I expect something connected to the rim of the roof.

Wow! No details were released! This amazing news. Also in the News, VANOC hasn't unveiled its mascot and Pope Benedict XVI is not dead. More non news after the movie.