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Olympic Aftermath: A Sister City
It's been 14 years since the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, but people there say it seems like yesterday.
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(May. 20, 2002)------News Specialist John Hollenhorst traveled to Calgary, and has a glimpse into what we have to look foward to.
We found that the Calgary Olympics has an amazing life-after-death, and there are many lessons to help predict our own Olympic Aftermath.
Does this look like an Olympic dream coming true?
Christina Smith, pilot, rocketing down the chute,
celebrating one of many victories on her way to the Salt Lake Olympics.
That dream began 14 years ago, in her home town, Calgary, when she was a little girl singing in the Opening Ceremonies.
Christina Smith/Calgary Athlete: "BACK THEN I RECALL LOOKING DOWN AT THE ATHLETES AND THINKING 'WOW!!! WOULDN'T THAT BE AMAZING TO BE ONE OF THEM'."
She isn't the only one with fond, vivid memories of '88.
Sheryl Schultz/Calgary resident: "IT JUST PUT THIS CITY IN SUCH A STATE OF EUPHORIA, IT WAS GREAT."
Calgarians still feel the warmth of the Olympic flame.
Candace Weir/Calgary Resident: "IT'S A NICE WARM FUZZY FEELING." Q: "AND IT HASN'T GONE AWAY?" A: "IT HASN'T GONE AWAY. NO. NOT AT ALL."
Part of the reason is the constant reminders of '88.
The Olympic Plaza still draws international visitors.
The ski-jumps at Olympic Park are still visible from downtown.
The flags of all nations still fly. Olympic venues are still in use.
John Mills/Calgary Olympic Development Assoc.: "WE HAVE OVER 250,000 SKIERS VISIT US EVERY WINTER."
An hour's drive away, in the spectacular Canadian Rockies, the cross-country venue still looks great
and attracts enthusiastic skiers.
Doug Gudwer/Calgary Resident: "IT'S JUST FABULOUS FOR ANY OF THE WINTER SPORTS TO HAVE THE OLYMPICS. AND THE LEGACY LIVES ON BASICALLY."
The legacy. You hear the word all the time in Calgary. The '88 Games turned a profit which earns enough interest to support the venues, and then some.
JOHN MILLS/CALGARY OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOC: "SO THE FUND HAS GROWN FROM ABOUT 72 MILLION DOLLARS CANADIAN IN 1988 TO ITS PRESENT BALANCE OF ABOUT 180 MILLION DOLLARS."
JOHN HOLLENHORST REPORTING: "IN FACT, THE LEGACY FUND IS SO HEALTHY THEY'RE ABLE TO BUILD NEW FACILITIES. THIS INDOOR TRAINING FACILITY FOR BOB & LUGE OPENED LAST YEAR, WITH REAL ICE, ALL YEAR ROUND."
Many facilities have expanded uses: more sports, more seasons.
There are exceptional workout facilities at the University of Calgary.
And at Olympic Park, Christina Smith sweats it out with high-performance athletes from all over Canada. They've steadily won more and more medals in every Olympics since 1988.
CHRISTINA SMITH/CALGARY ATHLETE: "WE'RE SO BLESSED TO HAVE THIS, BECAUSE IF THIS FACILITY WASN'T HERE I WOULD NOT BE BOBSLEIGHER, I WOULD NEVER HAVE DREAMED OF BEING A BOBSLEIGHER."
DR. DOUGLAS BROWN/OLYMPIC HISTORIAN: "NOT ONLY ARE WE PRODUCING THESE ELITE ATHLETES, BUT THERE'S A SPORT CULTURE THAT'S NOW EMERGING IN CALGARY."
But did the games improve the economy, as Olympic boosters always promise? Yes and No.
PROF. BRENT RICHIE/WORLD TOURISM CENTER : "WE'VE HAD A HUGE GROWTH IN THE BUILDING OF HOTELS IN THE LAST 7 OR 8 YEARS."
The city has grown since '88. But economists say the ups and downs of the oil industry are statistically far more important than the Olympics.
PROF. FRANK ATKINS/UNIV. OF CALGARY ECONOMIST: "THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A MEASURABLE LONG-TERM IMPACT."
Those economic hopes seem dampened in Utah too. Many businesses have not seen the boost they expected.
But one clear lesson: If the money is well-managed, a post-Olympic city will have a lot to show for it.
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