local: Olympics worth the cost?
Walter Shawlee III, Associate Staff Writer

B.C. would be proud to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, but critics of the Vancouver bid to host the games say pride has nothing to do with it. The current Liberal government has been cutting public services (resulting in school and hospital closures) but maintains that Vancouver's Olympic bid remains a priority for B.C.

Murray Dobbin of the Council of Canadians says that at a time when social programs are being cut, it is irresponsible to be considering the Olympics a priority. A recent poll by the Council of Canadians found 95 per cent of B.C. citizens seeking a referendum on the $6 billion bid.

"The government should do the right thing and abandon its bid," Dobbin said.

Should Vancouver be selected to host the games by the International Olympic Committee, SFU would become the site of an Olympic speed skating oval, which could have hidden benefits looking past the prohibitive cost.

SFU president Michael Stevenson agrees that "even after you factor out transportation costs, the Olympics costs a hell of a lot of money," though he argues that the criticism of the project "is misguided." Stevenson sees the building as having "enormous legacy value," providing new facilities for both academic and athletic programs.

The estimated cost to SFU for creating the rink is $5 million, a paltry sum when compared to the $65 million price tag that the facility carries. The remainder of the cost would be borne by the government and by fundraising. Money for maintaining the facility would hopefully be covered by endowment created by fundraising. Currently, it is very difficult, even impossible, for universities to acquire federal funding. Stevenson describes the speed skating oval as a "good way to lure federal funding."

Steve Frost, media relations officer for SFU Recreational Services and Athletics, also sees the Olympics as an opportunity to breathe new life into academic and athletic programs. "It will help us develop facilities that can better serve the campus community, and the students in both recreation and athletics."

The oval would serve not only as an arena for the games, but also as "a sports centre that will bring in facets of the different departments of the university," he said.

With the UniverCity development under way, the SFU population will see a sharp increase, and the new facility might provide a variety of programs and distractions for both students and children living in the new development.

The planned speed skating oval has a seductive attraction, but there is controversy surrounding its usefulness. The University of Calgary is the site of the speed skating oval built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, and has provided value to the school since then; however, this is no guarantee that the same would be true at SFU.

After all, this is a school where there is seldom hand soap in the restrooms.

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