Vancouver View - Sport and Environment Awards Presented; CoComm Sessions Begin

Isaac Kalua (right), founder/chairman of the Green Africa Foundation, receives the first award from FIBT president Robert Storey. (ATR/B. Mackin)Beijing was among the five continental winners of the inaugural IOC sport and environment awards, presented Monday at the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment in Vancouver.

"This is the right city, the right moment, the right site to have the first IOC award for sport and environment,” said Pal Schmitt, IOC sport and environment commission chairman.

Schmitt said 38 individuals and organizations were nominated.

The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau and BOCOG won the award for Asia. Others recognized included: Oregon Track Club (Americas), Green Africa Foundation (Africa), German NOC (Europe) and the New Zealand 2010 Rowing World Championships’ Rainbow Project (Oceania).

Outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, 100 people participated in an Olympics Resistance Network rally against what they called “green-washing.”

ORN speaker Harjap Grewal said VANOC, the IOC and sponsors are leaving a legacy of destruction. He pointed to the overland expansion of the Sea-to-Sky Highway through the Eagleridge Bluffs forest and swamp and clearcut logging in the Callaghan Valley for the 2010 Games’ ski jumping, cross-country skiing and venues.

“It's a marketing campaign for these companies that have realized that most of the world knows they're destroying the Earth,” said speaker Harjap Grewal. Work Less Party's Betty Krawczyk was outside the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment on March 30 protesting the expansion of the Sea-to-Sky corridor. (ATR/B. Mackin)“What they now need to do is pretend to be green, what the Olympics provides them, it provides them with the best opportunity to ‘show the world’ they care about the environment."

Earlier in the day, VANOC said it was seeking a sponsor to help compile a $5 million portfolio of carbon credits to offset the estimated 300,000 tons of pollution to be produced. Dr. David Suzuki, a CBC TV presenter and retired geneticist, issued a report claiming Canadian winter sport is facing catastrophe by 2050 if global warming isn’t stopped. Retired climate scientist Dr. Timothy Ball, however, said a cooling trend since 2000 could ruin crops and lead to heating fuel shortages.

The three-day United Nations and IOC-presented convention ends today. The convention was downsized by the recession. Sponsorship was open exclusively to VANOC and IOC partners, but only seven responded. The federal and B.C. governments and provincial Crown corporation BC Hydro were three of them.

First CoComm Session of 2009 Begins

The Vancouver 2010 coordination commission began its second to lastpre-Games meeting with VANOC on Monday evening, but held its opening plenary session on Tuesday morning.

In addition to a big picture update from VANOC CEO John Furlong, the checkup group headed by Rene Fasel was scheduled to hear presentations by VANOC’s Caley Denton (ticketing), Cathy Priestner Allinger (sport), Irene Kerr (transportation) and David Guscott, David Atkins and Marti Kulich (ceremonies).

“We have exactly 318 days to go before the opening ceremony,” Fasel said at the opening of the session. “I think the opening ceremony will be somethingIOC Vancouver 2010 Coordination Commission chairman Rene Fasel addresses the plenary session in the VANOC boardroom on March 31. (ATR/B. Mackin)very, very special.”

Fasel said feedback from international sports federation presidents on the Vancouver 2010 test events was “really exceptional.” He said recent chefs de mission and broadcasters meetings were also well-received by clients. Fasel welcomed Olympic Broadcasting Services CEO Manolo Romero to the meeting. Romero was joined by OBS Vancouver COO Nancy Lee and operations executive Mark Parkman. Romero was the last entry on the agenda.

“We still have some issues to speak, but in general the broadcasters are very happy,” Fasel said. The IOC delegation included Director of TV and Marketing Services Timo Lumme and Sport Director Christophe Dubi.

“We hope and are looking forward to excellent and fantastic Games,” Fasel said. The VANOC group included chairman Jack Poole and RCMP Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit chief Bud Mercer.

With reporting from Bob Mackin in Vancouver.