John Furlong delivers first post-Olympic speech to standing ovation

By Tanya Colledge (April 19, 2010)

All Photos Courtesy: Dave Roels

A 1,000-strong crowd dusted off their Canada gear and gave a standing ovation to John Furlong, chief executive officer, Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), at his first post-Olympic speech.

Honoured guest Premier Gordon Campbell helped present Spirit of Vancouver® awards at the sold-out Spirit of Vancouver event, recognizing the staff, volunteers and athletes who made the vision of the 2010 Winter Games a reality.

All staff and volunteers in the audience were invited on stage during the presentations, which included:

Spirit of Vancouver Outstanding Leadership Award to John Furlong “for inspiring a nation to ‘believe’ and showing all of us what is possible when we do;” also to the late Jack Poole, founding chair of VANOC, and received on his behalf by his wife, Darlene, “for his vision, leadership and tireless dedication to bringing the Games to Vancouver and a legacy of generosity that will continue to inspire us.”

Spirit of Vancouver Outstanding Achievement Award to the members of the board of directors, VANOC, “for their exemplary stewardship of the Games,” and to staff, VANOC, “for their outstanding performance in staging the Games.”

Jack Poole Award for Volunteerism was awarded to the over 20,000 volunteers, also known as the “blue jackets,” for “planning and staging the 2010 Games, welcoming the world with open arms and reminding us that smiles are contagious;” also to the Ambassadors “on the team for planning and staging the Games, leading by example and championing our city, province and country.”

The Sardis Secondary School Drumline from Chilliwack kicked-off the proceedings, while Ali Milner, who performed at the 2010 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony, sang the national anthem.

“This was a time when we could reach out and reach for something that was bigger than ourselves, and we could show ourselves how much we could accomplish as Canadians,” said Campbell, wearing his red mittens.

“Canada now understands and recognizes British Columbia… They recognize the rich cultural diversity, they recognize the rich economic opportunities that are here in our province, but most importantly, they recognize that British Columbians want to strengthen Canada and make it a better country for us to live,” he said, continuing to praise Furlong’s “remarkable efforts,” saying it was clear that Canada’s Games could not been directed by a better person.

In honour of John Furlong, The Vancouver Board of Trade and Spirit of Vancouver donated $10,000 to the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luger who tragically died on opening day of the Games. The crowd welcomed Furlong to the stage with a standing ovation.

"I would like to think as we wrap this up that we have done our best, we have changed our country and we have changed the lives of people and that the next generation will have something that perhaps the last didn't have," said Furlong in his address entitled From The Canada That Was To The Canada That Now Is. 
He credited the success of the Games to the determination, perseverance and solidarity his team had towards their vision.

Furlong reflected on the challenges that resulted from a poor economy and bad weather, and the loss of Leo Obstbaum, VANOC's design director, and Jack Poole.

“The biggest lesson for us was that we had a vision, and we never quit on it, never,” Furlong said, adding that VANOC’s values of teamwork, trust, excellence, creativity and sustainability, served as a compass to which they never lost sight.

The keynote address ended with a video montage capturing the highlights of the Games. Furlong also noted Canada’s huge wins, the record-breaking Torch Relay, the incredible percentage of public transit users, the involvement of the Four Host First Nations and, of course, Canadian athletes taking home the most gold medals ever.

“The Games have elevated Canada on the world stage,” said Furlong, thanking Canadians for trusting and believing in him throughout the past decade.  He concluded his address with a quote from Prime Minister Harper saying that “someday historians will look back at Canada’s growing strength in the 21st century and say that it began right here on the West Coast with the best winter Olympic Games the world has ever seen.”

Furlong was also presented with a gift of the Four Host First Nations emblem by special guests Chief Bill Williams, Squamish Nation; Tewanee Joseph, executive director, Four Host First Nations Society and  Justin Webb from Bell. The artwork was signed by all of the Four Host First Nation chiefs.

Spirit of Vancouver, a Vancouver Board of Trade program championing community well-being, launched Spirit Canada™ Fridays last month to encourage members and the public to keep the spirit alive by wearing red – or their Canada gear – every Friday.  Spirit lives here.™