Vancouver on right track for qulity Gamese, IOC
24/10/2008 17:24
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday confirmed that the
Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee (VANOC) are on the right track to host top
quality Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The IOC Coordination Commission
just finished its seventh visit to the Canadian city which will host the Games
in February 2010.
The Commission reviewed the venues in the Whistler area,
which will host the skiing and sliding sports as well as the athletes' village
and also heard from VANOC about a number of other areas linked to Games
organisation, such as sport, NOC services, technology, marketing, accommodation,
transport and communications.
"The competition venues in Whistler are truly
spectacular and will provide a fantastic back drop for the athletes. It is
particularly reassuring to see that they are all largely complete and are
already being used," said Commission chairman Rene Fasel.
The Commission was
happy to see that John Furlong and his team on track to finalize a number of key
Games-time plans, such as transport, volunteers and staffing and hoped the
organizers could start next step on time.
"We feel that if they can quickly
finish them over the coming few months, then they will be in a very good
position going into their operational phase at the end of next year, " said
Fasel. "It's crucial though that no time is lost, because the Games are an
immoveable deadline and the margin for error is greatly reduced as we get into
the final year of preparations."
Fasel said the IOC was particular pleased to
see that VANOC's participation in the IOC's Beijing 2008 Observer's Programme
had had a positive impact on its planning and that the Games legacy remains a
top priority for the next Olympic Games organizers.
"With the Beijing Games
now over, it is Vancouver 2010's turn to step into the spotlight and I am
confident that Vancouver 2010 can also raise the bar for the Olympic Winter
Games," he said.
"Our Canadian friends learned many important lessons during
their stay in Beijing as part of the IOC's Observer's Programme, and this can be
seen in their planning, which is being fine-tuned as VANOC moves into its
operational phase,"he said.
Xinhua
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