FINAL BILL REPORT

SHJM 4005

As Passed Legislature

Brief Description: Supporting the Vancouver 2010 Olympic bid.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Trade & Economic Development (originally sponsored by Representatives Morris, Anderson, Linville, Veloria, Skinner, Quall, Hunt, Cox, Miloscia, Ericksen, McDonald, Pearson, Sullivan and Hankins).

House Committee on Trade & Economic Development

Senate Committee on Economic Development

Background:

The modern Olympic Movement was born in 1892, when Pierre de Courbertin announced the re-establishment of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was created on June 23, 1894, and the first Olympic Games of the modern era opened in Athens on April 6, 1896. The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

In order to host the Olympic Games, cities must participate in a two phase host city election procedure. Cities must pass an initial selection phase during which basic technical requirements are examined by a team of experts and then put forward to the IOC Executive Board. Once approved by the Executive Board, the cities become official Candidate Cities and are authorized to go forward into the full bid process. An assessment is made of each Candidate City's ability to stage high-level, international, multi-sport events and its ability to organize the Olympic Winter games in 2010, against a set of 11 technical assessment criteria: government support and public opinion; general infrastructure; sports venues; Olympic village; environmental conditions and impact; accommodations; transport; security; experience from past sporting events; finance and general concept. Currently, there are three Candidate Cities to host the XXI Olympic Winter Games in 2010: Vancouver, Canada; Salzburg, Austria; and Pyeongchang, Korea.

During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Utah, there were an estimated 220,000 total visitors. The total economic output from the Olympics was $4.8 billion, including 35,000 job years, $1.5 billion in investment, $435 million in infrastructure investment, $123 million in visitor spending and a net revenue to local and state government of $76 million. The Salt Lake City Olympic Committee budget was $1.9 billion and it finished with a $100 million profit. The estimated value of print media exposure during the games with a tourism theme was $22.9 million.

Summary:

The joint memorial communicates to the International Olympic Organizing Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the Premier of British Columbia, Washington's support of the bid of Vancouver, British Columbia, to host the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Votes on Final Passage:

House 97  0

Senate 48  0