A storied history: Vancouver 2010 marks one chapter in UBC's Olympic path

 
Across UBC varsity athletics decorated history, there are dozens and dozens of athletes that tie our campus to the Olympics. From rowing to skeleton, and everything in between, there are countless remarkable moments and success stories from over 90 years of Olympic Games.
 
To celebrate the 2010 Olympic anniversary, over the past two weeks on gothunderbirds.ca we looked back on several of those moments and athletes, from the founders of our Olympic history to iconic Thunderbird Olympic achievements and memories.

Building Beyond 2010

 
Though we are looking back at Vancouver 2010 as a remarkable memory in this city's past, UBC plays an important role as the Olympics continue to grow. From an impactful study to a leading Olympic dignitary, there are many ways the Thunderbirds continue to make their mark on the Games.
 

Tricia Smith

 
Tricia Smith is a four-time Olympian in rowing and a silver-medallist at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. As a Canadian team member, she claimed seven world championship medals and a gold medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.
 
She is also an incredible role model for women in sport, having successfully pursued a career in elite sport, law and sports administration.
 
Her legacy spans beyond her time representing Canada on the water. As the current President of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), an elected representative of the Americas on the Association of National Olympic Committees, an elected member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2017 and a member of several IOC councils including the Women in Sport Commission, she is a worldwide leader in sport.
 
Smith is the Vice-President of the World Rowing Federation (FISA), keeping close ties to her own Olympic history, and was Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2007 Pan American Games. For Vancouver 2010, Smith served as Chef de Mission and was part of the Bid Committee.


 
These are just a handful of several of the endeavors Smith has taken in sport, with a rowing career at UBC from 1978 to 1981 just the beginning of her lasting impact.
 
She is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia, and an inductee in the Olympic Hall of Fame and BC Sports Hall of Fame. Smith holds an Honorary Degree from UBC, and in 2018 was on the list of WXN's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.
 

Olympic Games Impact Study

 
Every two years, the Olympics — be they summer or winter — bring hundreds of thousands of people to one city. In 2010, that city was Vancouver. With the Games came developments like the Canada Line, major upgrades to the Sea-to-Sky highway and the Richmond Oval. But what impact do Olympic Games have on cities like Vancouver before, during and after the event?
 
Spanning 12 years and involving four reports, the Olympic Games Impact Study saw its first iteration for the Vancouver 2010 Games. Its purpose? To measure and attribute the effects of Olympic and Paralympic Games on the host cities, their regions, their environment and their people — and advance sustainability in the Olympics for future host cities.
 
The study itself is the first of its kind in history, and is uniquely tied to UBC.
 
The project's lead researcher is Dr. Rob Van Wynsberghe from the Department of Education Studies. Alongside a team of researchers from across the globe, including several from the UBC community, Van Wynsberghe conducted the first Olympic Games Impact Study for the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC), the COC and the IOC — beginning as early as 2001, nine years before the Games even began.
 
So why do they take 12 years to complete? Each of the four reports happens at different phases of the Olympic hosting process. The first, a Baseline Report, provides reference points to serve as the foundation of the following reports: contextual data from 126 environmental, socio-cultural and economic indicators. The second, the Pre-Games Report, analyzes the same data but closer to the Games; for example, one finding surrounding Vancouver 2010 was that the selection of Vancouver and Whistler for 2010 may have contributed to an increased number of companies in Metro Vancouver and the Squamish-Lillooet region.
 
The Games-Time Report follows suit, examining data taken from the period of the Olympics being studied, with the final Post-Games Report completing the puzzle with assessment of data, summarized findings and final conclusions about the impacts of each Games.
 
Altogether, the four reports from Vancouver 2010 are just the beginning of years more studies to advance the sustainability of Olympic Games and promote positive legacies for each host city.