Richmond Olympic Oval: Long track speed skating
Olympic cost: $178-million
Future: The crown jewel of Olympic venues, winner of an armful of design and architectural awards, is already in heavy use as a state-of-the-art, one-stop sport and fitness centre. On a recent Wednesday night, there was action on both Olympic-sized ice rinks, three courts for basketball and three for volleyball had games going on, space was cordoned off for practising cheerleaders and gymnasts, and there was still room for table tennis and badminton matches. On the floor above, dozens of fitness machines were in action.
Memberships, at $58 a month for adults, have already exceeded the target for all of 2010.
Although the Olympic speed skating track is gone, the Oval continues to host elite athletes. Last month’s world wheelchair rugby championships drew large, boisterous crowds. China and Canada have faced each other in several exhibition women’s basketball tilts, top-flight table tennis and badminton tournaments have been held, the national tae-kwon do championships are coming up, and on and on.
Having so much simultaneous activity under one beautiful, gigantic, swooping roof is proving to be an effective stimulator of community togetherness and physical well-being.
Podium placement: Gold. It doesn’t get any better than this.
****
Whistler Sliding Centre: Bobsleigh, skeleton and luge
Olympic cost: $104.9-million
Future: The fastest sliding track in the world, forever clouded by the pre-Olympic death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, is still part of this year’s World Cup circuit, but not for luge. World Cup races for bobsleigh and skeleton competitors are scheduled for the controversial sliding centre, Nov. 25-27.
Whistler 2010 Sports Legacies, which manages the alpine resort’s Olympic venues, hopes the track will claim a permanent World Cup berth, but there are no guarantees, and headquarters for Canada’s sliding athletes remain in Calgary.
However, the nearby Whistler Athletes Centre, another Olympic legacy to train and accommodate elite athletes, is already taking bookings from top sliders and their coaches, including Canadian lugers.
Meanwhile, nearly 8,000 visitors have paid for guided tours of the facility. Short runs down the track – for a price – will be offered to the public as early as December. “People love the association with the Olympics,” says Sports Legacies head, Keith Bennett. “It’s a big draw.”
Podium Placement: Silver. Tourists are likely to love the chance to try it out, and the track is a definite boon for aspiring B.C. sliders. But safety will always be an issue.
*****
BC Place: Opening and closing ceremonies
Olympic cost: $12.1-million for upgrading and service improvements
Future: Spurred by worries that the 27-year-old domed structure was becoming outmoded, the provincial government is spending close to half a billion dollars for a snazzy new top, described by BC Place as “the largest, cable-supported retractable roof on Earth.”
Once completed, the open-air-unless-its-raining stadium will serve as home field for both the B.C. Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps, entering the ranks of Major League Soccer for the first time.
Since it takes place up high, the dramatic construction project is visible from much of downtown Vancouver. So far, 15 of the roof’s eventual 36 masts are in place, with the rest to be erected by the end of the year. The roof itself will be installed during the ensuing winter months and spring.
But don’t expect the stadium to be finished by the time the Lions and Whitecaps open their 2011 seasons. Empire Field lives, for the moment.
BC Place officials will only promise “substantial completion” by next fall, and a structure “fully complete” in time for the Grey Cup in late November.
Podium placement: Silver. The new stadium should be great, but it’s a lot of money.
*****
Vancouver Olympic Village: Athletes village
Olympic cost: $1-billion for construction loan and land to private developer, to be paid back to the city; $110-million for social housing that the city plans to retain; $35-million for the community centre
Future: The Vancouver athlete’s village for the 2010 Olympics was planned as a city showcase of West Coast design, leading-edge green building, and attractive city plazas and walkways. But the village, with 1,100 units in 16 buildings, is currently a mini-ghost town in the heart of the city.
