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NEW BEGINNINGS:
VANCOUVER DELIVERS GOLD-MEDAL PERFORMANCE
AS HOST CITY
By Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson
The 2010 Winter Olympic Games have ended in triumph for
our city, our province and our country.
A record-breaking Canadian performance for gold medals has capped off
an amazing few weeks of world-class competition.
Vancouver has never had such a platform in which to
showcase our strengths, and whether in sports, business, or our spectacular
natural environment, we exceeded expectations and left a cultural, economic,
and sporting legacy for our city.
I want to recognize all of the staff at City Hall, as well
as our police and fire departments for the thousands of hours they worked to
keep everything moving so smoothly.
Yet the legacies that stand out for Vancouver as a host
city are the ones that went beyond the thrill of the sporting events.
I was truly overwhelmed by the way our citizens stepped up
and contributed to the success and spirit of the past few weeks.
There were tens of thousands of volunteers who worked
tireless hours. They were
helpful, gracious and kind, and their open arms
embraced our international visitors.
We also were successful in reaching our goal of making
sure the Games were green and gridlock-free. The spectacular Athlete’s
Village was declared the greenest neighbourhood in
the world and people used transit, cycled and walked in record numbers.
Our downtown streets were converted to spaces for public
celebration with peaceful and joyous crowds the likes of which we had never
seen.
I am also extremely proud of the choices we made as a city
to reflect our tremendous diversity.
During the first weekend of the Games we held the biggest
Lunar New Year celebration in our history and shared the magnificence of
Vancouver’s multifaceted Asian heritage with the world. LiveCity Downtown and Yaletown
were hugely popular and featured a broad spectrum of talent, from the Bollywood Olympics to Silk Road Music, from Francophone
artists to Afro-Canadian musicians.
The entertainment showcases were one of the most popular attractions
precisely because of the broad appeal of the varied artists.
The innovative business leaders we featured as part of our
Vancouver Green Capital initiative at Vancouver House represented the diverse
voices leading our city towards a more sustainable, prosperous future.
Whether in arts and culture, business, community
leadership or the governance of our City, we worked hard to make sure
Vancouverites of all backgrounds were fully engaged in our role as Olympic
Host City.
Lastly, the incredible atmosphere our citizens were able
to create on our streets has fundamentally transformed our city. The massive,
diverse crowds and fun, energetic street parties and festivals that took
place throughout the Games have redefined how we see ourselves, and how the
world sees Vancouver.
So to the people of Vancouver, I want to thank you for
pulling off the biggest event our country has ever seen. Our city is stronger and more
confident than it has ever been before, and we are entering an exciting new
chapter in our city's history.
As we prepare to welcome the world for the Paralympic Winter Games on March 12, I know this spirit
of goodwill and positive energy will continue to thrive in Vancouver. We
showed that we could host an amazing Olympics - now let's keep that energy
going and host a great Paralympics.
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