Understated Impact of Olympics on Vancouver

Iconic Olympic venues may not be the best take-away from next Winter's games in Vancouver. The real benefit for the city may be its new rapid transit line, according to this article.

1 minute read

August 13, 2009, 3:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"[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.

Thanks to Brent Toderian

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 in USA Today

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