Vancouver Olympics Chief Wants "Happy" Games

(ATR) The head of the Vancouver Olympics says he’s expecting a “happy Olympic theater” when the Games open at the end of the week.

CEO John Furlong and key deputies Dave Cobb and Terry Wright met with a group of journalists Tuesday morning for a wide-ranging discussion on their preparations and expectations for the Games.

Furlong said that while British Columbia will host the Olympics, organizers have worked to make sure these are “Canada’s Games”.

“We wanted to reconnect Canadians with their own country,” says Furlong. He says reaction to the nationwide torch relay and the uptake of tickets from across Canada are indications that VANOC has succeeded in that goal.

“Whatever decision we were going to make, we wanted to try to extract the most good we could in everything we are doing,” he said about the impact of the Games in the country.

Cobb, vice president for marketing and finance said that the commercial success of the 2010 Olympics depended on a national approach.

“We had to in effect sell these Games and treat these Games as belonging to all Canadians, regardless of where they live,” said Cobb.

Furlong admitted that “it was not fun” to deal with a global recession in the last year to the Games.

“We started to look at the project thoroughly in terms of what matters and what doesn’t. It was not a fun exercise and frankly, I think it made us a better team,” he said.

“I don’t think you will see any noticeable difference in the delivery of the Games,” he predicted.

Furlong says based on his experience, he’ll tell organizers of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi that they must be prepared for trouble.

“When we go to Sochi one of the top four or five lessons we’ve learned is to absolutely expect over a period of seven years, you’re going toface some kind of adversity, somehow,somewhere. You’re going to have to prepare for it, whatever it might be,” said Furlong.

“Stuff happens,” he said.

Weather has been one of those adversities. The warmest January on record has led to bare patches where snow should be at the Cypress Mountain venue for freestyle skiing and snowboard.

VANOC and the IOC remain confident that the venue will be ready for competition starting this weekend, with snow being trucked to the site.

Cobb says the fact that VANOC had prepared its venues long ago has left the organizing committee with the ability to “do nothing but focus on Games operations”, such as Cypress.

He says Feb.13, the first day for alpine events, including the men’s downhill at Whistler, will also provide an early test of readiness.

It’s the first day we’re sending spectators up to Whistler. Our systems will be tested. We’ll have heads of state, every sponsor, every CEO wants to go to the event. Traditionally it’s a challenge, so we have a team focused on every second of that day,” he said.

Furlong says that security for the Vancouver Olympics is meant to add to the experience of the Games and not become an onerous encounter at mag and bag..

“Our primary objective in working with the security team from the very beginning was we want the Olympic theater to be happy. We want people to come in and out and feel great”.

Faced with the threats by anti-Olympic protestors to disrupt the last day of the torch relay as it moves through Vancouver, Furlong said he hoped the day stays non-violent.

“I’m not going to stand here and say that people shouldn’t have the right to come to the side of the street and express themselves. I just hope it will be respectful. If they have something to say, say it and don’t ruin the experience.,” said Furlong.

Written by Ed Hula.