2010 Vancouver Olympic & Paralympic Super-Thread

[Yume-sama]

It seems that particular company (an Alberta company that chartered the ship) was very poorly managed. I don't think they ever bothered to do the pesky math before doing the chartering, either.

Supposedly it cost them over $13 million to charter the cruise ship, with its 1000+ staff and everything. They would have had to rent out each room for nearly $800 a night to break even.

Their marketing was / is also quite awful.

By now anybody who IS coming already has a place to stay, or so I would hope... with less than 2 weeks to go.

[johnjimbc]

I think this is a more direct link to the Olympic Security CNN report:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor...ef=videosearch

[wrenegade]

Wasn't that cruise ship supposedly going to moor outside the sulphur piles at Vancouver Wharves in North Van? Maybe that was part of the problem (combined with the huge cost).

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by johnjimbc

I think this is a more direct link to the Olympic Security CNN report:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor...ef=videosearch

I wonder if they'll send us Anderson Cooper, too! Hopefully he won't be too busy exploiting some tragedy to come up.

[Waders]

Thing/Action not allowed in venues according to http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic...ing-the-venue/

Wow! This is a long list. No wonder VANOC advised people to arrive for security screening 2 hours before event start time.

But how do they screen prohibited/restricted action?

Also no food or beverages is allowed! According to CTV, once you leave a venue, you won't be allowed back in.

Prohibited Items And Actions
Prohibited items and actions are those prohibited by Canadian law. The following items and actions are not permitted at venues:

■ammunitions
■criminally prohibited weapons
■explosive substances
■firearms, replica firearms,toy guns
■knives
■pepper spray
■public incitement of hatred
■wilful promotion of hatred

Restricted Items And Actions
Selected items and actions are identified as restricted in order to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all spectators at the Olympic Winter Games, ensure the laws and provisions are upheld, and the contractual obligations to third parties are respected.

Spectators carrying restricted items will be asked to either return them to their point of origin or dispose of them immediately.

■Aerosol sprays, flammable liquids, fireworks, water balloon launchers
■Ambush marketing of any kind, distribution of leaflets, pamphlets and non-approved publications, promotional material and wearables
■Animals (except service animals)
■Balls, Frisbees, racquets, hockey sticks, pucks and other sport items
■Bicycles, scooters, skateboards, skates, skis, snowboards, sleds
■Broadcast and lighting equipment from entities other than rights-holding accredited broadcasters and the host broadcaster
■Broadcasting and recording through the use of mobile phones or other transmitting devices (such as two-way radios, recording devices, PDAs or video cameras) for commercial purposes
■Dangerous, disruptive behaviour or behaviour which disturbs spectators (including, without limitation, public drunkenness, fighting, gambling, spitting, threatening staff or spectators, throwing objects onto the field of play and/or public seating area, political or religious activities)
■Displays of signage and banners containing religious, political, provocative or obscene content and or visible branding and trademarks of sponsor and non-sponsor companies; flags of non-participating countries; flags and banners larger than 2 m x 1 m; poles larger than 0.9 m (flags cannot be attached to any surface in the venue)
■Devices capable of causing a disturbance such as air horns, trumpets, lasers, thundersticks and noisemaking that might disrupt the session or be disturbing to other spectators
■Drugs, needles, prescription-strength medicines not validly prescribed for the ticket bearer by a physician
■Flash photography and other lighting devices (such as laser pens) anywhere around the field of play (exceptions may apply)
■Food and beverages, including alcohol, purchased outside of the venue (except for medical needs)
■Folding chairs or benches (stadium cushions are allowed in mountain venues)
■Glass containers or bottles
■Golf umbrellas, open umbrellas in seating areas disrupting spectators’ views
■Large bags (bags small enough to fit under a seat and not obstruct aisles are allowed) containers, coolers, ice chests
■Smoking (except in designated areas)
■Strollers in a seating bowl or viewing area
■Unauthorized collection of money or commercial activity (such as hawking, ticket resale), sale of counterfeit goods
■Use of radio frequency devices (Wi-Fi, pocket wizards and land mobile radios) that have not been registered and coordinated with Industry Canada prior to entry into
the venue

[SpongeG]

those places are charging too much - a place in coquitlam is asking i think its $250 & up for an RV space and they had room for 200 i think and only 5 reservations - asking way too much - the cruise ship is like $600 a night isn't it?

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

It seems that particular company (an Alberta company that chartered the ship) was very poorly managed. I don't think they ever bothered to do the pesky math before doing the chartering, either.

Supposedly it cost them over $13 million to charter the cruise ship, with its 1000+ staff and everything. They would have had to rent out each room for nearly $800 a night to break even.

Their marketing was / is also quite awful.

By now anybody who IS coming already has a place to stay, or so I would hope... with less than 2 weeks to go.

i saw something on the news that some people had booked online with private owners through some site and now they are finding out that the places they booked might not exist and they were speculating we should hear more about it as people start to show up

[Waders]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

those places are charging too much - a place in coquitlam is asking i think its $250 & up for an RV space and they had room for 200 i think and only 5 reservations - asking way too much - the cruise ship is like $600 a night isn't it?

Just US$275 a night now, but the cruise ship floating hotel is in serious danger of being sunk.
Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/O...628/story.html

When it announced the project last May, the cost of a basic room was to be about $1,300 US a night but that was cut to $500 in October. The starting price was then lowered to $275 US a night last month, with the prospect of even lower prices as the Games neared.

[WBC]

Originally Posted by whatnext

What if you gave a party and nobody came?

Something tells me that that is going to be the theme for the Olympics. As in overblown estimates of crowds and visitors. Anyhow, I have this bet going in the office over whether the traffic and the crowds and going to be better or worse during the Olympics or during a regular summer day. My bet is on the better than.

[SpongeG]

sucks for them - wasn't the original plan to charter 2 ships? than they dropped one and went with only one

plus isn't it going to be docked in north van? its not in a very accessible space away from transit etc

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by WBC

Something tells me that that is going to be the theme for the Olympics. As in overblown estimates of crowds and visitors. Anyhow, I have this bet going in the office over whether the traffic and the crowds and going to be better or worse during the Olympics or during a regular summer day. My bet is on the better than.

i think spectator numbers will be lower but the media numbers will be normal and maybe more so since more countries are broadcasting these ones

right now there are $50 air fares (one way) from Calgary if any forumers from there... want to get here... - i looked one up and it was $231 includes txxes fees etc to go from vancouver thurs feb 11 to monday feb 15 return airfare

[hollywoodnorth]

2010 RENTAL BUST anyone?


Olympic cruise ship hotel plan in jeopardy

CBC News

The Norwegian Star, seen here at Vancouver's Canada Place cruise terminal, is scheduled to dock in North Vancouver for the Olympics.The Norwegian Star, seen here at Vancouver's Canada Place cruise terminal, is scheduled to dock in North Vancouver for the Olympics. (CBC)

An Alberta company's plan to charter a cruise ship and use it as a floating hotel in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games has run into financial problems and could leave hundreds of guests stranded.

Newwest Special Projects, the Edmonton travel company behind the plan, is scrambling to work out a deal with its partners to lower costs and keep the venture afloat.

The Norwegian Star is scheduled to sail out of Los Angeles later this week, headed for a dock in North Vancouver to serve as a floating hotel for as many as 2,200 guests.

'We are making every effort to continue with our charter as planned.'—Newwest Special Projects statement

But it appears not enough guests have booked rooms, even after the company cut prices by half in September and then cut them even further in January, to as low as $275 per room, including three meals a day.

After the company's marketing arm was contacted by CBC News over the weekend, it issued this statement:

"Our sales have not been what we had hoped for and our expenses have increased beyond what we ever expected. We are negotiating with all of the parties involved with this project throughout the weekend to try to lower costs and seek some concessions. We are making every effort to continue with our charter as planned."
Expenses mounting

Industry insiders told CBC News the company likely paid $12 million to $15 million to charter the ship, and then had to set up an expensive makeshift cruise ship terminal on an industrial dock to meet stringent Olympic security requirements. The ship's 1,000 crew members also needed Canadian work visas, an estimated $200,000 expense.

One of Newwest's Alberta investors, Abe Neufeld, said negotiations are "tense" and that it's a "tough struggle," but he remains hopeful the project will go ahead.

When asked if any of the Olympic visitors can expect to get their money back if the project sinks, Neufeld said they would be "looked after," but did not elaborate.

Tourism Vancouver vice-president Walt Judas said that if the deal falls through, there is accommodation available in downtown Vancouver, but prices are expensive and most hotels only have one- or two-night gaps in their reservations.

More accommodation is available around the Metro Vancouver region in motels and hotels, at bed and breakfasts and in private homes, said Judas.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...#ixzz0eLnUnOUF

[Waders]

Don't know what is with US media. Both this Time article http://www.time.com/time/world/artic...rss-topstories and a recent USA Today article focus on Canada's determination to win Gold medals.

Watch out, world. They are coming after you, on skeleton sleds, speed skates and, oh yeah, while wielding big old curling brooms. They used to be the nice guys (and gals); now they'd rather leave you buried in the snow on a ski trail. They will no longer be embarrassed.

Fellow biathletes and bobsledders, beware: the Canadian Olympic team is going to crush you.

Or so they say. With the Vancouver Olympics, which begin on Feb. 12, fast approaching, north-of-the-border expectations are at an all-time high. Canada has hosted the Olympics twice before — the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. In both cases, no Canadian athlete won a gold medal on home soil. That's right; even though Canada is very cold and was blessed with home-field advantage in 1988, the country couldn't win a single Winter Olympics gold. They didn't even medal in ice hockey, Canada's own game.
(Watch a video about training for the biathlon.)

Such lack of output is no longer acceptable. "They were reasonably pathetic performances," says Roger Jackson, a 1964 Olympic rowing gold medalist and CEO of Own the Podium, an organization that has received about $109 million in government and private funds over the past five years to develop athletes for the Vancouver Olympics. "I can tell you that we're going to have several gold medals this year," he says. "I guarantee it." Whoa. Is a Canadian really issuing a freewheeling, Joe Namath–style guarantee? "It's a nice word, isn't it?" says Jackson.

What's gotten into Canada? For starters, check out Own the Podium's slogan: "Look out, we're going to 'OWN' you." It's a line better fit for some guy from New Jersey, not Newfoundland. "I mean, you know we didn't say on the podium," says Jackson, an avuncular guy who is clearly enjoying this famously low-key nation's take-no-prisoners approach. "We said own the podium. We're getting a little cocky here."
(See pictures of Olympic athletes' tattoos.)


And a little selfish too. To boost its host-country advantage, Canada has gone so far as to limit competitors' access to facilities like the sliding track and downhill-skiing course in Whistler and the speed-skating oval in Vancouver. That has drawn the ire of foreign athletes, particularly the Americans, who've made a stink about it. "We tried to get into the facility this summer for training, but they were charging an insane amount of money to let us skate there every day," wrote Apolo Ohno, the U.S. short-track speed skater and five-time Olympic medalist, in an e-mail. "Personally, I wouldn't want to win or have success in that way."

In response, Canada shrugs. "It's a zero story," Jackson says. "The reality is that foreigners have used the facilities way beyond what was available in Salt Lake City [in 2002]. We have worked with every international federation, they have outlined all the expectations for access, they have all been met and exceeded." Wait a minute, did he just call the Americans "foreigners"? Very neighborly. But Jackson has a message for those scorned Olympians who want to stuff a maple leaf in Canada's face. "Relax," he says. "Just come and enjoy the Games."

What's the source of this newfound Canadian aggression? In part, you can thank the Yanks. After seeing how the U.S. medal count jumped from 13 in Nagano, Japan, in 1998 to 34 in Salt Lake City four years later, Canada realized it could also capitalize on its status as host. In Turin, Italy, four years ago, Canada finished with 24 medals (one behind the U.S. and five behind leader Germany); Jackson figures around 30 medals should give Canada the top spot in 2010.
(See TIME's video series about how Olympic athletes train.)

Plus, officials insist that the nonchalance of the past was almost ridiculous. "We joke about it," Jackson says. "There's this wonderful old cartoon of a Canadian athlete with an international president who was handing out medals. It was sort of this Tiny Tim thing. 'Please sir, may we have a medal? Oh no? Well then, thank you for your kind consideration.' That was the Canadian motto. It was hilarious because it was mostly true. We just said, Look, this is nonsense. Let's have some fun with this; let's try to improve."

The Canadian goal is to win the most medals. You know, own that podium. And after the organization has spent $62 million in government funds to fine-tune the Canadian Olympic machine, Jackson's jocks had better deliver. What will happen if they don't fulfill his gold guarantee? "I'm going to try to find the quietest little island," says Jackson, "so that no one can find me." Surely, Canada would want to take out its pent-up aggression on him.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/artic...#ixzz0eLrvYHJe

[WaxItYourself]

wow hollywoodnorth, some of the comments on the link you posted are horrible. So much for Canadian kindness. Some of them are even stating things like "Another failed Olympic promise we'll have to pay for".

[NetMapel]

From Matthew Good's blog, "What if":

Healthcare: The cost of the Olympics could have funded the construction of 6 state of the art hospitals to replace St. Paul’s.

Education: The cost of the Olympics could cover the four-year tuition fees of 345,383 UBC arts students – or 314,004 UBC science students – or 287,853 UBC engineering students – or 100,963 UBC medical students.

The cost of the Olympics could cover the cost of educating every elementary and secondary student in the Province for roughly a year and a half.

The cost of the Olympics could have allowed the Provincial government to waive property tax for 6 years and sales tax for over a year.

The cost of the Olympics could have funded all of the social welfare programs on the Lower Eastside – including food banks and social housing – that receive Federal, Provincial, and Municipal funding for more than 16 years.

The cost of the Olympics could have built roughly 20,000 units of social housing.

The cost of the Olympics could have afforded the city the ability to hire 3,000 new police officers and pay them, with full benefits, for 20 years.

During the games, the military presence in Vancouver will be the largest since the Second World War.

The total cost of security is more than VANOC’s initial assessment of what the Olympics as a whole would cost.

$79 million dollars of the security budget is being used to house military and police personnel on three cruise ships.

BC Ferries will receive $15 million dollars for security upgrades even though no events are taking place on any of the coast islands to which they sail.

I say, what if humans have three arms and be superman while we're at it ?

[Yume-sama]

The cost of the Olympics could have bought me the best weekend in Las Vegas EVER.

[mr.x]

You know, if you made health care efficient you would save billions in this province every year and it could be used for other things like the above mentioned list...rather than complaining about a one-time $3.5-billion expense spread out over the course of 6-years. Of that $3.5-billion, $1.7-billion belongs to B.C. provincial taxpayers and it would have been just enough to keep our provincial health care alive for 2 months.


Any society needs to balance things, if we only concentrate on the basics we will become austere and things like the Sistine Chapel, Cathedral de Notre Dame or the Sydney Opera House would have never been, we wouldn't have art or culture and the things that define us would be gone. There would be no creative development and art and culture (which I include sport to be) is a pure expression of spirit and soul, it gives us an insight into ourselves that we can't see by just looking at the numbers. And it provides enjoyment and an escape. Art and sport have existed since before civilization and they continue to be an important part of society and culture. To ignore this is to be willfully ignorant and to that there is no excuse.[/I

[satishreddy]

Can someone please give me the group a breakdown of Olympics costs? For example, what are the capital costs and what is included in the total? What are the operating costs? Thanks,

Satish Reddy

[jlousa]

This is a skyscraper forum people, let's keep it on topic. All that money could've been used to clearcut Stanley Park, and we could've used the wood to construct a 1km Burj Vancouver completely out of wood.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by satishreddy

Can someone please give me the group a breakdown of Olympics costs? For example, what are the capital costs and what is included in the total? What are the operating costs? Thanks,

Satish Reddy

can someone also tell them that the money wouldn't have existed without the olympics - most of the money unless vanoc is lying comes from the private sector and the other would be going to do other things anyway