What would it take for Vancouver to become a Summer Olympic Games host city?

Read the complete 3-part Vancity Buzz Special Exclusive Series on Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria hosting the Summer Olympic Games. What would it take to host the world’s largest international sporting event?

PART 1 – HISTORY AND GENERAL INFRASTRUCTURE

The First Part explores and highlights the differences in scale and scope between the Winter and Summer Olympics, the history and legacy of major international sporting events in Canada, the accommodations and media infrastructure required by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the transportation infrastructure improvements that would be needed to handle the additional traffic flow of 1.5 to 2 million additional journeys per day, as well as the labour, volunteers, and security that is required to host a Summer Olympics in Vancouver. Click here to read Part 1.

PART 2 – SPORTS VENUES OF A VANCOUVER SUMMER GAMES

The following Second Part ventures further by identifying what sports venues and competition sites are needed for the Summer Games in Vancouver, proposes the usage of existing venues and the construction of temporary and new permanent facilities. Highlighting their successes and failures, identifying lessons to take upon, we also explore the venue building experiences and the post-Games legacies of Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010, and London 2012. Click here to read Part 2.

PART 3 – GROWTH OF THE GAMES, COMMERCIALISM, ALTERNATIVE EVENTS, AND CONCLUSION

Our Final Part looks into the economic feasibility of hosting the Summer Games here in Vancouver, while also providing some conclusions to the special series. It explores what is behind the growth in size, scope and complexity of hosting the Olympic Games, and why host nations are in a never-ending race to host “the best Games ever.” Furthermore, it will also venture into the importance of commercialism – through exclusive sponsorship and broadcast television rights – for the very survival and continued existence of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. Finally, it will evaluate the feasibility of hosting other international events in Vancouver and Canada, including a special insight on Canada hosting the men’s FIFA World Cup. Click here to read Part 3.

Series trilogy written and researched by Kenneth Chan, a Columnist at Vancity Buzz. Follow me on Twitter: @kenjmtchan

Featured image credit: IBI Group