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A panel of international experts, including representatives from the International Olympic Committee and the organizing committees for the Vancouver and London Olympic and Paralympic Games, joined 2010 Legacies Now CEO Bruce Dewar in Vancouver on February 19, 2010 for a half-day symposium on Olympic and Paralympic legacies. The symposium explored the first-of-its-kind model of 2010 Legacies Now, a non-profit organization which was established during the bid phase for the 2010 Winter Games to ensure social legacies were created for British Columbians prior to and after the Games.
Participants of the Olympic and Paralympic Legacies Symposium discussed how to leverage legacy planning as part of future Olympic and Paralympic bids and best practices for creating social legacies which extend beyond sport venues and infrastructure, including a focus on sport and healthy living, sport tourism, the arts, literacy, volunteers, accessibility and Aboriginal engagement.
Guest speakers included:
The symposium included an in-depth presentation by Mr. Dewar on the 2010 Legacies Now business model, which focuses on establishing innovative partnerships to connect corporate, community and government organizations to ensure communities experience social benefits as a result of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"2010 Legacies Now is the first legacy organization to be in place long before the Games start, and our approach to collaborative and sustainable legacy planning can be adopted by other host and bid cities to ensure their regions experience social benefits from the Games as well," explained Mr. Dewar.
Minister McNeil opened the symposium with greetings from the Province of British Columbia. "Although we are only part way into the Games, millions of people across the province have already experienced social benefits through the work of 2010 Legacies Now and its partners," said Minister McNeil.
Ms. Lemaitre supported 2010 Legacies Now's approach to legacy development, referring to a case study the International Olympic Committee commissioned, entitled Catalyst, Collaborator, Connector: The Social Innovation Model of 2010 Legacies Now, which is available online. Ms. Coady emphasized partnership building as the key to establishing sustainable social legacies from the Games.
Sir Keith Mills discussed the legacy efforts underway in the United Kingdom, emphasizing the lessons which can be learned from 2010 Legacies Now.
"2010 Legacies Now provides an innovative blueprint for how host cities can use the Games to drive important social change that benefits the host city and region," said Sir Keith said. "We look forward to collaborating with 2010 Legacies Now as we transfer knowledge between the two Games."
