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BEIJING — While Beijing Summer Games organizers continue to fend off criticisms, the world's next Olympic city, Vancouver, got a “wow” for its preparations from beleaguered officials of the International Olympic Committee.
As VANOC chief John Furlong completed his progress report to the IOC general session here, delegate applause rang out from the cavernous meeting room in a posh Beijing hotel just a stone's throw from Tiananmen Square.
Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, which has been on the defensive over complaints of Chinese internet censorship and other problems associated with the Games, congratulated Mr. Furlong and VANOC “for the excellent work you have done.”
Rene Fasel, head of the IOC committee responsible for monitoring the 2010 Winter Games, was even more effusive.
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“The project is perfectly on schedule and has met a wonderful and positively enthusiastic response from the market and from the public at large,” Mr. Fasel said.
“The preparations are of such a quality that we are entirely confident that everything can be completed in the next 18 months.”
In a presentation addressing everything from Olympic mascots to a fabrication shop making Olympic signage that hires “young men and women from the street,” Mr. Furlong reiterated the long-standing pledge by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for 2010 that all venues for the Games will be completed before the end of this year.
His words were accompanied by a series of spectacular scenic slides of a wintry Vancouver and Whistler, where alpine events will be staged.
The VANOC president touched only briefly on last week's huge rockslide that closed the sole highway link between Vancouver and Whistler, prompting concerns should a similar event take place during the Winter Olympics.
“You may have read in the media that we had a slide on this road, some rocks gave way and came down on the highway,” Mr. Furlong told IOC delegates.
“They've since been cleared, the road is open, and of course this is precisely why this road needed to have these upgrades,” he said, referring to the ongoing $780-million highway project designed to make the route to Whistler safer and faster.
“So at Games time we'll have an efficient, modern road through a beautiful piece of geography, one of the nicest drives probably in the whole country.”
Mr. Furlong made no mention that the Sea to Sky Highway was closed for five days by the slide, and delegates did not question him about the matter.
Afterwards, in an interview, he said the issue came up during a closed-door session of the IOC executive last Friday, and members seemed confident that VANOC “was up to meeting any challenge we might face.”
On another issue, Mr. Furlong confirmed that GM Place, home of the Vancouver Canucks, will lose its name during the Winter Games because of the IOC's ban on corporate advertising and company logos at sporting venues.
Men's and women's hockey will be played GM Place, often called “the Garage” for those who don't like the corporate attachment.
Mr. Furlong referred to the Canucks' battleground as Canada Hockey Place.
GM paid $18.5-million to have its name affixed to the privately-owned area.
The VANOC boss said later that retaining the corporate name “violates the Olympic spirit.” He said it would be covered over during the Games, although he termed Canada Hockey Place “a holding name” until VANOC makes a final decision on the arena's Olympic title.
He also revealed that the Westin Bayshore will serve as the official hotel of the so-called “Olympic family,” comprised of IOC and Olympic VIPs.
With 555 days to go before the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Mr. Furlong concluded by telling the IOC: “We are a very happy organization. We've had a very good year.”
VANOC has about 40 representatives observing and working at the Summer Olympics here.
“Beijing is a finishing school for our team,” Mr. Furlong said.
