Note: This article first appeared in Young Leader, the newsletter of theVancouver Board of Trade‘s Leaders of Tomorrow program. To learn more about this mentorship program, please visit the official website.
On February 11, several LOT mentees joined over 500 professionals from the Vancouver business community for a luncheon headlined by John Furlong, former CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Spirit of Vancouver® lunch marked the first-year anniversary of the Games and celebrated the launch of Furlong’s new book Patriot Hearts: Inside An Olympics That Changed A Country.
During his speech, Furlong discussed the legacies of Vancouver 2010. He stressed the importance of the Own the Podium program and pointed out that the success of Canadian athletes on Canadian soil was integral in getting everybody together and delivering a successful Games.
He also pointed out that VANOC’s decision to include First Nations was essential. In his words, Furlong said that First Nation participation “enriched our Games….and showed an example of what’s possible.” Furlong took the opportunity to once again thank the many volunteers and hardworking employees who made the Games possible.
Finally, Furlong highlighted how the Games have transformed Canada as a nation. “Every Canadian got to a place where they weren’t just watching this – they were part of it,” he proclaimed.
The Games, Furlong emphasized, forever changed the way the world views Canada. “We shared with the world the Canada we love and cherish,” he said. “This was a human story of people who hold hands and do great things together.”
According to Furlong, the Games were all about us. “British Columbia gave Canada a gift,” he concluded. “We’ve shown that we can do this together.” Following the presentation, several LOT students had an opportunity to meet John Furlong before he darted off to another function.
Photo credit: Justinne Ramirez
© 2011, KC Claveria. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Please link back to kcclaveria.com
