2010 Vancouver Winter

Olympic Games

AaronHomewood

ImageCredit:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a7/2010_Winter_Ol
ympics_logo.svg/831px2010_Winter_Olympics_logo.svg.png

My Motivation for choosing this event

Ichosetothe2010VancouverWinterOlympicGamesasmyeventbecauseI
haveapassionforwintersportsandtheWinterOlympicGamesareoneofmy
favouriteeventstowatchandfollow.IchosetheVancouvereditioninparticularas
IamhalfCanadianandfeelaclosebondtothecountryanditssports.Ialsofind
theOlympicGamestobesuchafascinatingandchallengingeventforacitytobe
abletohost,inparticularwithregardstobuildingalegacyforthecityandcountry
afterhostingtheGames.So,forVancouveracitythatfeelsclosetohome,it
peakedmyinteresttoinvestigatewhatlegacyhasbeenleft,ifanyonthecity,now
sixyearslater.

What is the Winter Olympics?

Isthelargestwintersportseventintheworld
Firsteditionwasstagedin1924inChamonixFrance
TheVancouverWinterOlympicswasthe21stedition
TheGamesbringstogetherthetopwinterathletesfromaroundtheworld
TheGamescontained15oftheworldsfastest,skillfulandmostphysically
demandingsports
Allowsformanydifferentcountriestoconvergetogetherononedestinationand
experienceboththehighsandlowsthatsportprovides
EachOlympicGameshasthegoaltoleavealegacy,andtheprimaryfocusof
myinvestigationwillbejustthis

ImageCredit:https://smediacache
ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f5/69/6e/f5696ebcf6b840f38fb59b91d16477d2.j
pg

Research Question
Inwhatwayswasthe2010WinterOlympicGames
successfulintheleveragingofalegacyinVancouver
aftertheGames?

List of six assumptions made about the

event
CulturalAnthropology(thestudyofhumankind)
1.IassumethattheOlympicGamesallowsformanydifferentculturestointegrate
together.
2.IassumethattheOlympicGamescelebratesdiversityandembodies
inclusivenessforall.
_________________________________________
Sociology(thestudyofsociety)
1.IassumethattheOlympicGamesprovidesacountrywithapotentialopportunity
toshowcaseitselftotheworld.
2.IpresumethathostingtheOlympicGamescanuniteacountryduringitsperiod.
_________________________________________
Psychology(thestudyofbehaviourandthinking)
1.IpresumethattheOlympicGamescanbeusedasavehicletoinspirepeopleto
wanttoparticipateinsport.
2.IassumethathostingtheOlympicGamesmakesthepeopleofthatcountryfeel
asenseofprideduringtheGames.

Introduction to my study and its purpose

Aspreviouslymentioned,theeventIhavechosentostudyisthe2010Vancouver
WinterOlympicGames.TheWinterOlympicGamesisamegaeventheldeveryfour
years,andinFebruaryof2010itwasstagedinVancouver,Canada.Thesheersize
oftheevent(82nationsand2566athletescompeting)makesitoneofthemost
challenging,butperhapsalso,oneofthemostrewardingsportseventstohost.
Assuch,oneofthepossiblerewardsforacityhostingtheOlympicGamesisbeing
abletobuildalegacyposttheGames,andthiswillbethefocusofmystudyin
whatwayswasthe2010WinterOlympicGamessuccessfulintheleveragingofa
legacyinVancouveraftertheGames?
ThelegacyofanOlympicGamesisbecomingincreasinglyimportant,withmany
criticsoftheGamessitingthehigheconomiccostsinvolvedwithhostingtheGames
asbeingtoogreat,andnotbeingabletoberepaidbythehostingoftheevent.In
fact,VancouverwasthefirstOlympichostcitytosigntheInternationalOlympic
Committee's(IOC)HostCityContract,whichwasamendedin2002toincludethat
hostcitiesshouldseektocreatepositivelegaciesthatimpactuponthecity,region
andcountrytoenhancethequalityofliving.Therefore,legacywastofeatureheavily
inVancouver'sdeliveringoftheGames.
Thus,Ifeelitisimportantandofinteresttometoinvestigatewhethertheselegacies
envisagedandpromotedbeforetheGamesreallymaterialised,andtowhatextent,
forVancouverintheaftermathofhostingtheWinterOlympicGames.

ImageCredit:http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/02/threeyears
laterareflectiononthevancouver2010olympicgames/

Unique features of my event and points of

difference
AnobviousbeginningpointthatstraightawaymakestheWinterOlympicGames
differenttomanyeventsisthatitonlyoccurseveryfouryears.Otherdistinguishing
featuresofmyeventisthatitbringstogetherallofthetopwintersportathletesinthe
worldfrom82nations,in15differentdisciplines,containing86differenteventsovera
twoweekperiod,intheonelocation.Typically,sportseventsarespreadaboutover
severaldifferentgeographicallocations,butthatisthebeautyoftheOlympicGames,
everyoneconvergestogethertocelebrateandcompetewithoneanother,inwhatis
surelythepinnacleoftheseathletes'sportingcareers.Whattheyachieveatan
OlympicGames,can,andoftendoesdefinewhoapersonisfortherestoftheirlives
"OnceanOlympicchampion,alwaysanOlympicchampion"isoftenquoted.
AneventliketheWinterOlympicGamesalsocapturestheattentionofmillionsof
peoplefromaroundtheglobe,particularlythosepeoplewholivein'wintersportsmad
countries',wheretheirlivesalmostliterallycometoastandstillfortwoweeksevery
twoyearstofollowtheexploitsoftheirfellowcountrymenandwomen.Think,what
othereventshavethecapacityouttheretoseizetheattentionofanationforsucha
periodoftime,theanswer,veryfew.
TheWinterOlympicGamesalsohasthecapabilitytoacatalystforgood,andfor
creatingpositivesocialoutcomes,notonlyforahostcommunitybutalsoglobally.In
atimewherevolatilepoliticalsituationsandrelationshipsexistintheworld,sportcan
beapowerfulmotivatorforunificationamongstcountriesandcontinentsaswhole's.
Littleelsecanbringtogethersomanydifferentcountries,andwithitdifferentcultures
andvaluesastheWinterOlympicGamesdoes.AndforthemostparttheWinter
OlympicGamesdoesjustthisnomatterwhereyouarefromoryourbackground,
peopleareunitedtogetherintheirloveandcelebrationforsport.Arecentexample
exampleofthis,albeitfromtheSummerOlympicGameswasinRiodeJaneiro
whereSouthandNorthKoreangymnastswereseentobeenjoyablyinteractingwith
oneanother,thisdespitethewelldocumenteddivisionsbetweenthetwo
neighbouringnations.Toend,whatIbelievetobeoneofthestrongpointsof
differencetotheWinterOlympicGamesasaneventisthatnooneGamesisthe
same.Eachhostcitywillstampitsownuniqueperspectiveandflavourontothe

Games,ensuringthenoveltyoftheeventneverdies.Withastepintothesomewhat
unknowneveryfouryears,theanticipationbuiltofjusthowacitywilldelivertheir
versionoftheWinterOlympicGamescreatesmuchexcitementforcompetitorsand
fansalike.

ImageCredit1:http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/canadafanscheerontheirteamduringtheicehockeymens
goldmedalpictureid97177759,ImageCredit2:http://america.aljazeera.com/content/ajam/multimedia/photo
gallery/2014/2/photos
sochi,olympicsday14highlights/_jcr_content/slideShowImages/slide1/image.adapt.960.high.sochi_day_14_01a.jpg,
ImageCredit3:http://cdn.lightgalleries.net/4bd5ec148405e/images/Vancouver_olympics142.jpg

Possible Socio-Economic
impacts/implications of the event on the
host-community

EachandeveryOlympicGamesmakespromisesbeforehandaboutthegreatsocio
economicimpactshostingtheeventcanhaveonthehostcommunityandthepeople
withinit.Butwhatarethesespecificsocioeconomicimpactsthataresortafter,and
forwhichweshouldbeexperiencingasamemberofthehostcitycommunity?

SomeofthesocialeconomicimpactsthathostinganOlympicGamesissaidtohave
uponahostcommunityandtheimplicationsoftheseare:

Vancouverhadarecordsettingyearandthat2015isshowingstrongsignsof
followingthissametrend(Azpiki,2015).Clearlyincreasedtourismisapositive
economicoutcomeforthecityofVancouver,butwithoutfurtherinvestigationitisnot
feasibletobeabletoattributetheserecordbreakingnumbersalltowardsthelegacy
createdbythecityhostingthe2010WinterOlympicGames.

Avolunteerwebsite(Volweb)wasdevelopedtoenablepeopletosignupto
volunteer
fortheGames.Thewebsitematchedpeoplewiththeskillsthattheyenteredinwith
theneedsofanorganisation(KaplanidouandKaradakis,2010).Thesepeoplewould
haveequippedthemselveswithmoreskillsthroughvolunteering,andwillbebetter
preparedtocontributetosocietythroughgettingajob,orbeingabletocontribute
moretowardstheircurrentjobs.

NewbusinessesandjobscametofruitionasaresultofhostingtheGames,suchas
venueoperationaswellashotelandrestaurantjobs(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
Havingmorejobsavailableshouldhopefullyhavealleviatedsomeofthecity's
unemployment,whichisonlypositiveforthepeopleofthecityinbothsocialand
economicterms.

RonaldMcDonaldHouseCharities,oneofthesponsorsoftheGameshelped
financiallyinthebuildingofplaygroundsinVancouver(Kaplanidou&Karadakis,
2010).Thisbenefitsthecommunityaschildrenwillhaveaccesstomoreplayground
tokeepfitandactiveon.

CocaColaCanadaCompanyinvested$350,000(CAD)intothecity,whichallowedfor
thedevelopmentofanoutdoorcourt(Kaplanidou&Karadakis,2010).Thiswill
encouragetheparticipationinsportsactivitiesforthesurroundingresidents.
LocalresidentswererecognisedbecauseoftheCity'ssuccessfulhostingofthe
Gamesandthecity'sprofileasatouristdestinationwasenhancedinternationally
(Kaplanidou&Karadakis,2010).Moretouristswouldbenefitthecityasmorejobs
shouldbecreatedforitspeople,andmoremoneywillalsobebroughtintothecityfor
thepeopleitself.
Tourismwhichisoftenseentojustbeaneconmicbenefitcanalsoimprovethequality
ofpeople'slives(Karadakis&Kaplanidou,2012).This,therefore,makesincreased
tourismavaluablesocioeconomicoutcomeofhostinganOlympicGames.

Image Credit: http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/bilderserien/olympia/Sotschi-feiert-die-russischen-Traeume-article12236561.html

Literature Review
The2010WinterOlympicGamesinVancouverhavebeensaidtohaverevolutionised
thecity,everyonehasnowbeeninspiredtodreambigforthefutureofthecity,and
optimismwasatitsheight(Chan,2013).
WhenhostingtheOlympicGames,manystakeholdersareinvolved,theseinclude
publicstakeholders(e.g.residents,localbusinessesownersandtourists)andother
stakeholders(e.g.governments,sportandtourismorganisationsandtheOrganising
CommitteefortheOlympicGames)(KaplanidouandKaradakis,2010).Theimpactof
hostingtheOlympicGamesshouldbeevaluatedforallofthesestakeholders,to
ensuregooddecisionsaremadeonlegacyoutcomes(KaplanidouandKaradakis,
2010).Stakeholdersarebodiesinvolvedwiththemanagementanddeliveryofthe
OlympicGames,andtheirdecisionsareveryinfluentialtowardsthehostcommunity,
OrganisingCommitteefortheOlympicGames(OCOG)andtheInternationalOlympic
Committee(KaplanidouandKaradakis,2010).
Legacycanbeplannedandunplanned,positiveandnegative,aswellastangibleand
intangibleoutcomesthatremainafterasporteventhasoccurred(Kaplanidouand
Karadakis,2010).Legacyisofimportanceatallphasesbidding,preparingforthe
event,duringtheeventandaftertheevent(Hiller,2006).Withthisinmind,the
VancouverBidCorporationdevelopedaplanwiththeaimtobuildasustainable
legacyforathletes,sportdevelopment,hostcommunitiesandtheOlympicand
ParalympicMovement(VANOC,2002).Themainoutcomeofthiswasthecreationof
thenotforprofitorganisationnamedLegaciesNow(KaplanidouandKaradakis,
2010).TheorganisationwantstoseecommunitiesinVancouverandacrossBritish
Columbiaactionlastinglegaciesforthemselves,bothbeforetheGamesandinthe
timeafterwards(KaplanidouandKaradakis,2010).
Inordertogetthepeopleofapotentialhostcityonboard,legacyoutcomesare
extensivelyutilised(Sant&Mason,2015).
Forthepurposesofthisliteraturereview,fivedifferentcomponentsoflegacywillbe
examinedsociocultural,economic,environmental,sportsandinfrastructure.

SocioCulturalImpacts
PublicAwarenessofdisabledpeoplewassuccessfullyamplified(VanWynsberghe,
Soudas&Amos,2011).
Noevidenceyettosuggestthatmorepeopleweremadehomelessasadirectresult
ofhostingtheGames,whichwasavocalpointfromactiviststowardshostingthe
Games(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
ArtsandculturewereaprimaryfocuswhenhostingtheGames(VanWynsbergheet
al.,2011).
TheopeningandclosingceremoniesoftheGamesofferedtheopportunityforthe
artsandculturalcommunitiestoshowcasetheirworktoaglobalaudience(Kaplanidou
andKaradakis,2010).
PeoplefromVancouverwereabletolearnmoreaboutthemselvesfromhostingthe
Games.Thetruecapabilitiesofthecitywererealisedwhenthecitybecame
determinedandambitious,bycombiningourresourcesandintelligencetogetherin
pursuitofhostingtheverybestGamespossible(Chan,2013).
TheCityofVancouvercreatedLiveCitysitesforthepublic(inparticularnonticket
holders)toexperiencetheOlympics.ThisallowedgrowthoftheOlympicExperience
andcontributedtowardsboostingtheprofileoftheGames,forbothlocaland
internationalpeople(Chan,2013).
SocioculturaloutcomesoftheGamesweresatisfactoryaccordingtoresidentsof
bothVancouverandOttawaastudyfound(KaradakisandKaplanidou,2012).
EconomicImpacts
Beforethe2010Games,VancouverwasstrugglingeconomicallyandtheGames
werepromotedasasolutiontotheissue,asitwouldgivetheeconomy,theinjectionit
required(Sant&Mason,2015).
Manybusinesseswereabletogrowtheirnetworksbecauseoftheopportunity
providedbyVancouverhostingtheGames(KaplanidouandKaradakis,2010).
Thepriceofrealestateandhotelstaysincreasedin2010.Thiscouldwellbeasa
resultofhostingtheGames(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
TheTrafficatVancouverAirportwasseentoincrease(bothpassengerandfreight)
aroundGamestime,aswellasvisitorspending.Thisislikelyduetotheinfluenceof
hostingtheGames(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
TheGamestimereporthaspropositionedthatthepublicsectorhasbenefitedtothe
tuneofatleast$50million(CAD)intotaltaxrevenueasaresultofOlympicactivities,
andthisissaidtobeaconservativeestimate(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
Afteranalysisofprevioushostsandfailures,theVancouverOrganisingCommittee
createda$110million(CAD)legacyfundtoensurethatpublicinvestmentwould
continuetoberewardedaftertheconclusionoftheGames(Tomalty,2016).

BeforeanOlympicGamestherearehighexpectationsamongstpeoplethattheywill
berewardedfortheirinvestmentsbyreceivingagreatereconomicreturnfromhosting
theGames(Gursoy&Kendall,2002).ItisonlyaftertheGamesthatthesepeoplethat
theeconomicreturnstheywerehopingforareunderwhelming(Gursoy&Kendall,
2002).
EconomicoutcomesoftheGameswerenotsatisfactoryaccordingtoresidentsof
bothVancouverandOttawaastudyfound(Karadakis&Kaplanidou,2012).
Environmentalimpacts
DuringtheGamestravelintoandoutofthecitycentreincreased.However,forthese
journeyspeoplepreferredtheuseoflowimpactmodesoftransportoverusingtheir
ownpersonalvehicles(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
Intermsofenergyconsumptionformanythedifferentvenuesandfacilitiesand
transportation,thebreakdownbetweentheuseoffossilfuelsandrenewableenergy
sourceswasjustaboutequal(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
BoththeWhistlerOlympicParkandtheOlympicOvalweredesignedtoadhereto
thehighestenvironmentalstandardsandshowcasedmanyinnovativesustainability
highlights,includinganenergysavingfeature,wherebywasteheatandrainwaterwas
capturedandreused(Olympics,2011).
TheVancouver2010OrganisingCommitteewantedtosetaprecedentforfuture
eventstofollowinrelationtosustainability.TheGamesshowedthewayforwardfor
othereventstoreducetheircarbonfootprints(Olympics,2011).
TheVancouverConventionCentrehadagreenroof,whichalsosuggests
VancouverscommitmenttohostinganenvironmentallyfriendlyGames(Kaplanidou
andKaradakis,2010).
EnvironmentallegacyoutcomeswereinthemindsofbothVancouverandOttawa
residentsthemostimportant,asitrelatestotheirlifesallthroughouttheOlympic
process(Karadakis&Kaplanidou,2012).
Sportingimpacts
AprogrammeforexcellenceinsportcalledOwnthePodiumwasintroducedbythe
centralgovernmentinresponsetothe2010WinterOlympicsbeingawardedto
Vancouver(VanWynsbergheetal.,2011).
Anincreaseinsportsparticipationatthegrassrootslevelhaslongbeenchampioned
asagreatmotivatorforwantingtohostanOlympicGames,astheOlympicscanact
asapowerfulcatalysttowardsthis(Perks,2015).
Comparisonoffigurescollectedonsportparticipationratesbeforeandfollowingthe
GamesshowedonlyamoderateincreaseinsportsparticipationinVancouverafterthe
Games.Thiseffectonlylastedfortwomonths,therefore,makingitbothshortlived
andsmall(Perks,2015).

Thiseffect,evencannotbedirectlyattributedtohostingtheGames,althoughitisvery
likelyitwasthereasonbehindthissmallpeakinginsportsparticipationinthecity
(Perks,2015).
Afterthesetwomonths,sportsparticipationwasseentoresidebacktolevelsseen
in2005(Perks,2015).
Infrastructure
WhistlerOlympicParkandtheOlympicOvalwerecompletedwellinadvanceofthe
Games,allowingnotonlyeliteathletes,butalsopublicandamateurathletestheuse
ofthefacilities.ThisallowedforlegaciestobeachievedevenbeforetheGameshad
begun,andtheywillcontinuetobeutilisedbybothamateurandelitewellintothe
future(Olympics,2011).
Fiveyearson,projectssuchastheOlympicVillage,VancouverConventionCentre,
RichmondOval,CanadaLine,HillcrestCommunityCentreandtherenovatedSeaTo
SkyHighwayareallbeingusedroutinely(Azpiki,2015).
In2014,theRichmondOvalreceived$2.2million(CAD)insubsidiestocover
operatinglosses.Thismoneywassourcedfroma$110million(CAD)OlympicTrust
setupbytheVancouverOrganisingCommittee,thatwastaxpayerfunded.TheTrust
wassetuppriortotheGamestoprotectagainstanyvenuesbecomingwhite
elephants(Azpiki,2015).
Whathasnowbecomeofsomeoftheinfrastructureprojectsthatwereundertakenfor
theGames.Abreakdownofprojectsislistedbelow:
ThePacificColiseumnowservesasthehomeoftheVancouverGiantsicehockey
teamandalsohostmanyconcertsandothereventseachyear;
TheRichmondSpeedSkatingOvalhostsavarietyofeventsannually,attractingin
excessof700,000visitors;
TheVancouverOlympic/ParalympicCentreisnowacommunitycentrewhichoffers
icehockeyandcurling;
TheWhistlerSlidingSportsCentreisatrainingcentreforluge,bobsledand
skeleton;
TheWhistlerOlympicParkcombinesbiathlon,skijumping,tobogganingand
baseboardingfacilitieswith130kilometresofskiandsnowshoetrails;
TheWhistlerAthletesCentrehasbeenconvertedintoahighperformancetraining
andaccommodationfacilityforsport,educationalandartandcultureorganisations;
TheOlympicVillagehas1100livingunits,withalmostathirdbeingmadeavailable
asaffordablerentalorownershipproperties.Theinitialdevelopmenthasalso
encouragedsubsequentinvestmentaroundthesurroundingdistrict;
320housingunitsfromtheWhistlerOlympicVillagearebeingmadeavailableas
affordablehousingforseniorsacrossBritishColumbia;

TheGamesalsoservedasacatalystforpushingforwardwiththedevelopmentof
TheCanadaLine,anexpresstransportlinkbetweentheVancouverInternational
Airportandthedowntown,includingOlympicFacilities.Thedevelopmenthasbeen
communicatedasasuccess,withuse50%higherthananticipated.Further
developmenthasalsobeenseennearstationsandalongtheline(Tomalty,2016).
Additionally,theGamesservedasacatalystforpushingforwardtheupgradingof
theSeatoSkyHighway,whichlinksVancouverandWhistler(Sant&Mason,2015).

Image Credit: https://www.olympic.org/vancouver-2010

Critical Analysis
WhatismostsurelythebiggestdisappointmentfromtheVancouverGamesisthatthe
hopesofincreasingsportsparticipationatthegrassrootslevelhasnotappearedto
havecometofruition.Amoderateincreaseinsportsparticipationwasonlysustained
fortwomonthsbeforereturningbacktolevelsseen5yearspriortotheGames,
therefore,deemingthisincreaseinsignificant.Itisabundantlyclearthatmoreneedsto
bedonetoensuresportsparticipationdoesfirstlyincrease,butsecondlyitis
sustainedoveralongperiodoftime.Theinitialandfuturesportsparticipantsneedto
beretainedandnotlostagainsoquickly.Thisisthechallengeifinspiringmore
peopletogetinvolvedwithinsportisgoingtobepromotedasbeingaprimarylegacy
outcomefromhostinganOlympicGamestheneventorganisersneedtodevelop
appropriatestrategiesandinitiateeffectiveactionsinordertosustainorevenbuild
uponincreasesinsportsparticipationoverthelongerterm.
AfurthersourceofdisappointmentfortheresidentsofVancouverwasthatthe
economicreturnstheyreceivedwerenotasgreatastheyhadanticipatedbeforethe
Games.Furtherresearchneedstobeconductedastowhythiswasthecase,whydid
theGamesnotreachtheeconomicheightsforitsresidentsthatitwasmeantto?
Thesearepreciselytheanswersthatneedtobefoundforthepublictosupportthe
OlympicGames.Withthedelicateeconomicconditionspresenttoday,andthevast
financesneededtohostanOlympicGames,residentsdeservetobeassuredof,and
thendeliveredtheeconomicrewardstheyarepromised.Otherwisejustificationfor
hostinganOlympicGamesisverymuchcompromisedasyoucannotreasonably
expectpeopletosupportaGamesthatisgoingtoleavethecitiespeopleworseoff.
Ibelievethatanimportantpointtorememberforfutureeventorganisingcommittees
fromVancouvernotseeminglyachievingallofitslegaciesistopursuitagreater
understandingoftheimportanceoflegacyforresidents,andwhatitmeanstothem
andtheirlives.ThiswoulduncoveranyfearsthatpeopleheldabouttheGames,and
thesecouldbeaddressedpriorthentotheGamesoccurring.Thiswouldhopefully
minimisenegativelegacies,butconverselyallowtheopportunitytocreatenew,or
capitalisemoreuponpositivelegacies.
Oneimportantfinalfactortonoteisthatwhenanalysingwhetherspecificlegaciesis
atwhatpointintimeisitappropriatetoassessit?Itisnowsixyearsonsince
VancouverhostedtheWinterOlympicGamesandplenty,asseenabovehasbeen
writtenassessingvariouscomponentsoflegacyinVancouver.Togetthefullpicture
onlegacyIbelievewemayhavetowaitupuntilatleast10yearsaftertheeventto
makeaccurateconclusionsonthelegacyoftheevent.

Therefore,allthathasbeenaforementionedinregardtolegacyoutcomesshouldbe
takenwithadegreeofcaution,asthingsmayormaynotchangeintheensuingfew
yearsasevenmoreisuncovered.Tothisend,thereisanOlympicGamesImpact
(OGI)reporttobepublished,whichwillshedmorelightuponthelongtermimpactsof
theGamesuponlegacyoutcomes.

Image Credit: https://www.hihostelspm.ca/blog/2009/02/18/culture-shock-one-year-countdown-2010-olympic-games

Group Discussion
FormygroupdiscussionIdecidedtofocusonthetopicofdestinationdevelopment,to
discusswithmygroup.ThedestinationdevelopmentwasfocusedonVancouverand
Whistlerwhichhostedsomeeventsduringthe2010WinterOlympicGames.Our
discussionwastoreflectupontheoutcomesofVancouverhostingtheGamesin
regardtodevelopingVancouverasdestinations,forbothvisitorsanditsresidents.
Beforestartingourdiscussion,itseemedappropriatetoclearlyestablishinourminds
justexactlywhatdestinationdevelopmentwas,sothatwewereabletofacilitatean
adhesiveandvaluablegroupdiscussion.Destinationdevelopmentisaprocessof
coordinationandadvancementofamenities,facilities,productsandserviceswithina
hostcommunitythatprovideenjoyableexperiencesforvisitorsandboostthewell
beingofresidents.

Firstly,weallagreedthatdestinationdevelopmentshouldindeedbeafocalpointwhen
preparingabidtohostanOlympicGames,andthenwhenyouarepreparingtohost
theeventitself,inadditiontoduringitaswell.Wediscussedhowstakeholder
engagementisvitaltosuccessfuldestinationdevelopmentandthatboththeprivate
andpublicsectorsshouldbeinvolvedintheinvestmenttowardsinfrastructureand
facilities.
Weallagreedthatthefacilitiesandinfrastructurebothdeveloped,andimprovedin
Vancouveranditssurroundingareasinresponsetobeingawardedtherightstothe
2010WinterOlympicsimprovedthecitynotonlyasaglobalsportsdestination,but
alsojustasadestinationingeneralforitsinhabitantsandvisitors.
HostingtheGamesallowedthecityofVancouvertoshowcaseitselftomillionsof
viewersfromaroundtheworldandweallconcurredthatthiscouldonlybeapositive
aspect,ashopefullymorepeoplewouldhaveseenVancouverasagreatplaceanda
destinationtheywouldwanttovisitinthefuture.
HostingtheGamesseeminglybroughtthecommunityclosertogetherandthispositive,
energeticspiritalsoimpacteduponvisitorsfromelsewhereattheGameswhocould
nothelpbutbetakeninbyit.Weallthoughtthatahappierandamoreunited
communitywasagreatimpactuponVancouver,thatwillagaincontributetowardsthe
city'sdevelopmentintheeyesofallviewers.