Canada’s national women’s soccer team is going to the London 2012 Olympics, but the British Columbia government is not.
There will be no event or exhibit promoting the 2010 Winter Games host province’s tourism and trade in the 2012 Summer Games host city. It violates the spirit of a 2006 memorandum of understanding and ends the government’s Olympic promotion streak at three Games.
“We think it would be very crowded and cluttered, particularly during a Summer Games held in Europe,” said Jobs, Tourism and Innovation minister Pat Bell. “So, to have the level of impact that we would need would’ve required an expenditure we couldn’t justify.”
The United Kingdom generally delivers 200,000 travellers and 2,000 immigrants a year to B.C. and bought $293.7 million in 2010, mainly coal, lumber and fish. Canada exported $15.55 billion to the U.K. in 2010, making it the country’s second-biggest trading partner.
The U.K. is also among 27 members of the European Union, which is nearing a free trade deal with Canada.
Premier Christy Clark’s focus is on China, India, South Korea and Japan, despite the province’s historic trade, tourism and cultural ties to the U.K. The real reason for no London 2012 promotion is her desire to make B.C. forget her predecessor, Gordon Campbell. That was the word that leaked out of cabinet when Finance Minister Kevin Falcon made a failed, last-ditch proposal for a London 2012 presence in January.
Bell was noncommittal: “You’re asking me questions you know I can’t answer because I can’t reveal to you conversations that take place in cabinet.”
Campbell, now Canada’s high commissioner to U.K., inked the so-called Fellowship of the Rings memorandum of understanding with economic development officials of other Olympic cities in the B.C. Canada House on the penultimate day of Turin 2006. He wanted economic legacies to be felt along with those in sport and culture. But the global economic crisis of 2008 meant VANOC needed a taxpayer bailout and the economic legacies of the Games are debatable.
More than $25 million was spent on B.C. pavilions for Turin 2006, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010, but London didn’t require such treatment. When the London 2012 organizing committee, U.K. government and British Olympic Association cancelled plans for a pavilion in Vancouver, B.C. allowed them to use the Terminal City Club and B.C. Showcase for four events. During a Robson Square reception attended by Princess Anne, B.C. signed the Host 2 Host MOU to share its expertise and help U.K. Trade and Investment maximize Olympic business opportunities.
Wright now
Terry Wright, the VANOC executive vice-president who handled transportation, accommodation and security, was a marquee addition to KPMG’s Vancouver-based major sporting events practice last summer as senior adviser.
A source tells Golden Goals that the unit has been downsized and that the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games organization is seeking Wright’s services. Neither Wright nor KPMG global infrastructure lead Joel Finlay returned calls. KPMG’s spokesman did nothing to refute the shakeup.
“I cannot comment on any organizational aspects of the firm,” said Michael Bodsworth.
Soccer pitch
Thierry Regenass, the FIFA director of member associations and development, said it best during a Wall Centre conference on the state of women’s soccer January 26. Women’s football has become “interesting economically.”
The 2011 Women’s World Cup in Germany drew 845,000 spectators, registered a 55 million Euro profit, and there were almost 30 million viewers of the final in the U.S. and Japan alone. The next Women’s World Cup is Canada’s in 2015 and BC Place is aiming for the final.
Canada beat Mexico before 22,954 fans – a record for a B.C.-hosted women’s team sport event – in the CONCACAF semifinal January 27. BBM ratings estimate Sportsnet averaged 473,000 viewers, peaking at 727,100, despite the 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET kickoff. The underwhelming January 29 final against the champion U.S. drew another record 25,427 crowd and ended the tournament with almost 98,000 spectators.
The Canadian Soccer Association had a $1.3 million budget, with $250,000 in grants from each of the feds and B.C., and $81,000 from city hall. •
