Recession woes for Vancouver
I've just returned from Vancouver which is only nine months away from hosting the .
Usually so close to the Games, the debate about the huge amounts of money being spent on the event is replaced by the excitement of the party coming to town.
But not in Canada in the middle of a global recession.
John Furlong, admitted to me that he has to think about the budget virtually "every hour" now. VANOC are having to find ways of making savings.
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But the idea was dropped because of opposition from the sports who do not want to go back to the old system of less exciting ceremonies at the venues.
But what struck me was some of the scepticism among the public about the Games.
is one of North America's most beautiful cities and it has a wonderful quality of life. But it also struggles with a problem. This is likely to become a major story when the world's media come to town.
I spoke to homeless people and social workers and they are seriously concerned that people sleeping rough will be swept off the streets by the police to make Vancouver look perfect next February.
The , denied this when I talked to him but social workers say it's happening already because the homeless are being fined by police. Social workers fear many won't be able to pay and will be given the choice of facing a court case -- or getting out of town.
Residents are also increasingly unhappy that the which has risen dramatically since the bid -- by an astonishing 600% to £570 million.
Like London, the city has also been forced to bail out the athletes' village because of the credit crunch and there are concerns about the financial stability of some of the sponsors.
The overall bill for the Games has risen to more than £3 billion. People are asking why so much taxpayers' money is being thrown at the Games.
There are many lessons for London here.
The recession has changed the playing field for the . Olympic leaders will have to justify the cash they are throwing at a sporting party during such difficult days. is going to need to watch every penny in the next three years.
I'm ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ London's Olympics Correspondent, which means I report on every aspect of the preparations for 2012. I'm going to be telling you what people are saying about London's preparations - both in the Olympic corridors of power and on the streets of the capital - and I want to hear your views.
Comment number 1.
At 18th May 2009, Graham Newsom wrote:Adrian,
When you talk about the overall bill for the Games increasing by £3billion you should differentiate between the increased costs to facilities and the increased costs for improving the infrastructure in East London. The two are very different and it is unfair to lump them together - as it would be unfair to ask how much your trip to Vancouver cost the Licence Fee payer.
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