NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Winning the right to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games forever changed the face of Sydney, Australia. The now-familiar images of Darling Harbour, Homebush Bay and Bondi are only part of the most recent stunning Olympic legacy. Urban renewal, environmental conservation, recreational and sporting venues, and a renewed national amateur sports program were all set in high gear when Sydney was awarded the Games. When TO- 2008 announced its master plan for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games one year ago, there were five objectives: improve our environment, upgrade our city infrastructure, provide better accessibility for the disabled, more housing downtown (including affordable housing) and create a prosperous economy. At this stage, seven months before the vote, there is still a chance that Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, will pronounce Toronto the winner this July, when the IOC announces the official host city of the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Winning the Games will forever change the face of Toronto. Our Olympic plan is an ambitious and innovative one, which will generate long-awaited waterfront redevelopment, the construction of permanent facilities, new roads, rapid transit upgrades, new downtown housing, and much more. The best news today is that we dont have to wait for 2008 to see the benefits of our Olympic dreams. The Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid (TO- 2008) has already set in motion a process of urban revitalization, amateur sports renewal and civic rejuvenation that is underway whether it wins the right to host the Games or not. Toronto is a waterfront city. And yet for most of this century, much of our waterfront has remained a barren stretch of industrial portland.
Earlier this year, the Fung Task Force Report described the site as... nearly 2, 000 acres of undeveloped, misused or derelict lands... a significant portion of the land is environmentally degraded, lacks infrastructure and has totally outmoded plans and regulations. Since 1911, governments have tried to address these issues, but repeated attempts have failed. Enter the TO- 2008 Olympic Bid.
Driven by the requirements of the bidding process and as a clear sign of their support, Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Premier Mike Harris and Mayor Mel Lastman committed $ 1. 5 billion last October $ 500 million from each government for the first phase of a massive waterfront reclamation project, which will see major infrastructure development, environmental clean-up of the area, including the Don River, and the creation of green spaces along the waterfront. In essence, we should finally have a waterfront of which we can all be proud. Whether or not the Games come to Toronto in 2008, the redevelopment of Toronto's waterfront and infrastructure has begun. These projects and others have been all or partly driven by the 2008 Olympic Bid. This overarching process of rebuilding our community comes as a result of the bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, but will proceed with or without those Games. The Sydney Games sparked an intense debate about Canadas commitment to amateur sport, bringing the governments financial commitment to athletes under scrutiny.
Canadas amateur sport policy was contrasted to the Australian national program, initiated several years ago, which injects hundreds of millions of dollars annually to create, train and develop our youth physically and athletically. As an athlete-driven bid conceived and sustained with the ongoing participation of more than 150 Canadian athletes TO- 2008 has worked from the beginning to create a sport legacy in Canada. Last fall, it announced the creation of a new, independent, non-profit foundation dedicated to the advancement of junior athletes. The Foundation for Athletes and Sport Training (FAST), funded by public and private money, will give grants to eligible charitable sport agencies, which will in turn distribute the money to individual athletes, programs and organizations. Harris has already committed $ 10 million to this program. The arts and culture component of the Games is integral but often overlooked.
Every city hosting the Games must present an accompanying, spectacular Olympic Arts Festival. This festival lasts four years, consisting, in fact, of four annual festivals. TO- 2008 unveiled its expansive Olympic Arts and Culture program in December, including a number of initiatives intended to showcase arts and culture as a visible, viable and integral component of our community. Together, these initiatives will showcase the scope, diversity and excellence of Toronto's arts community. The rewards of the Olympic bid are not all tangible. Co-operation has been an important hallmark of Toronto's 2008 bid.
Inclusion has constituted one of its pillars from the outset, under our Chair David Crombie. The bid has worked hard to reflect the characteristics of diversity that define Toronto. In addition to the co-operation it has brought about between governments, TO- 2008 has brought together individuals and communities from across the city, signing up 60, 000 volunteers so far. All cities that bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games make elaborate and visionary plans. And every Olympiad leaves behind a legacy. But few bids truly do.
Looking around, we can already see the beginnings of TO- 2008 s legacy to our community and to sport. Already, we are winning.
Free research essays on topics related to: 2008, bid, waterfront, toronto, olympic
Research essay sample on 2008 Olympic Bid Olympic And Paralympic Games Waterfront
