Whistler Wins First Round in 2010 Olympic Bid Thursday, December 3, 1998 The reaction The Canadian Olympic Association Tuesday morning cleared the way for Vancouver-Whistler to host the 2010 Winter Games. Supporters of the measure, on the edge of their seats since the vote was delayed from Nov. 21, erupted with delight following the announcement. The three Canadian bids, from Vancouver, Quebec City, Quebec and Calgary, Alberta - which hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, were neck and neck after the first Canadian Olympic Association vote Nov. 21, with Vancouver-Whistler earning 26 votes, Quebec City 25 and Calgary 21. On the second ballot, a run-off between Vancouver-Whistler and Quebec City, the local bid earned 40 votes, with Quebec City taking 32. Grinning from ear to ear, Masters Group World Cup downhill organizer Don McQuaid said the announcement added to the already charged atmosphere surrounding the upcoming Hongkong Bank Whistler WinterStart Festival and World Cup downhill, an event which has been cancelled the past two seasons due to an excess of snow. Steve Podborski For Canadian downhill ski racing icon and local bid committee representative Steve Podborski, the announcement capped off a great deal of hard work. However, Podborski, who won the overall World Cup downhill title in 1982 and an Olympic bronze at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in 1980, admitted he was nervous leading up to the announcement, which had been delayed from Nov. 21 to Dec. 1 so as not to have an effect on Quebec's Nov. 30 provincial elections. Surrounded by a mass of television cameras, reporters and photographers, Podborski said the decision is definitely an endorsement of Whistler as a world-class ski resort and international destination. Podborski said one of the key reasons the local bid won the COA endorsement was the fact that Vancouver-Whistler has a good chance of winning internationally. A new organizing committee will now be set up to earn the 2010 Winter Games at the International Olympic Committee level, he added. The IOC will not make a decision until after the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. For Whistler Mayor Hugh O'Reilly, the decision has given the ski resort a new level of negotiation with the provincial and federal governments in acquiring funding for such projects as an improved transportation corridor between Vancouver and Whistler. O'Reilly said possible improvements could include a new road, rail system enhancements, and even an upgrade to the Pemberton Airport, located about 35 kilometers north of Whistler. If the Vancouver-Whistler bid wins IOC approval, the Whistler area would play host to all the alpine events including ski racing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon and Nordic jumping. — Rahoul Ghose, Mountain Zone Correspondent