Understated Impact of Olympics on Vancouver

"[F]or the Vancouver Games, which open six months from Wednesday, the closet thing to an Olympic legacy might be the Richmond Oval speedskating facility. The building is less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) outside downtown and will be converted to a recreation complex after the Olympics.

In Vancouver, many of the major venues already existed. The Olympic benefit for citizens may come from a 12-mile (19-kilometer) rapid transit line that connects the airport to downtown and a sparkling new convention center."

Many in the city see the event as having a small impact on Vancouver's reputation, or at least not as much an impact as the 1986 World's Fair.