With only 2 days until the IOC vote for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the three contenders – Vancouver, Salzburg, and Pyeongchang are campaigning to the end. And some are saying that Vancouver seems to have the edge:
With most of the 120-odd IOC members already arrived here for the 115th IOC Session, Vancouver is the name that quickly comes to the fore when the talk goes to Wednesday’s vote.
But despite growing rumours that Vancouver could win in the first round most senior IOC members see it going to a second round and that it will be a close run battle against Salzburg.
Of course my Canadian pride would love to see Vancouver win it. But I’m surprised there’s been so little talk about the bid’s main handicap, namely, transportation. The road between Vancouver and Whistler is a 2-lane scenic route built on the edge of the mountains before the dropoff to the sea. Transportation within Vancouver is difficult at the best of times, with the city not having a single highway, thus forcing everyone to take city streets. And the excessive politeness of Vancouver drivers, who will stop if they sense someone might want to cross at a crosswalk next year, tends to slow things down to a crawl.
Still, it would be kinda cool if Vancouver won the bid.