Before the facilities are outdated, why not do it again?

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Cauldron in Jack Poole Plaza. / Pixabay

In a meeting on Wednesday, Vancouver city council voted 7-4 in favour of considering an Olympic bid for 2030. The vote was Coun. Melissa De Genova’s idea, and was intended to take place in April.

It has been over ten years since the Vancouver Olympics, and with the city looking at another bid there are people on all sides of the debate. While the safety of such a large scale event at that time is still unknown at the moment, other concerns include the environmental impact and the homelessness crisis in the city. Some feel the money could be better spent elsewhere, and the profits wouldn’t be worth it.

The possibility of hosting the Games again has been talked about for years. The 2010 Olympics provided thousands of jobs for metro-Vancouverites and contributed to infrastructure with the Canada Line SkyTrain. With the COVID-19 pandemic making a major financial impact on the city, many see hosting the Olympics again using the existing facilities as a path to economic recovery when we need it most.

The 2010 Olympic podium / Pixabay

The thing I remember most about the Vancouver 2010 Olympics is the feeling. The entire lower mainland had this energy and excitement about it. I remember my class going outside to watch the torch run by. I remember trying to collect all the pins and commemorative coins from around town. I remember all the events and festivities leading up to it, a ten-year-old’s paradise of so many things to do. I remember watching the concerts at the opening and closing ceremonies in awe from my couch. I remember my school playing the coverage over the loudspeakers. I remember being told I would want to remember this all one day. Since then I have always wanted Vancouver to host the Olympics again, if just to feel that feeling again. That wonder. To be able to remember it better.

This week’s vote was just an interest survey to see if the city would move forward into research for the bid. The final decision over whether or not Vancouver will apply won’t be made until next year, after consulting the Canadian Olympic committees, government, the public, and local First Nations.

The Olympics bring a sense of community and excitement and connection. Ten years ago, I never would have imagined the events of this year. Who knows where we’ll be in the next ten years? I just know community, excitement, and connection, are things we need all the time.