Editing 2010 Winter Olympics (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper & Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean @ 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games Heads of State Reception.jpg|thumb|[[Prime Minister of Canada]] [[Stephen Harper]] and [[Governor General of Canada]] [[Michaelle Jean]] at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games Heads of State Reception]]
The massive celebratory crowds in downtown Vancouver were highly praised by the IOC. [[Jacques Rogge]], the president of IOC, indicated that "the way Vancouver embraced these Games was extraordinary. This is really something unique and has given a great atmosphere for these Games."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?id=4956641|title=Vancouver atmosphere will be tough to match|work=[[ESPN.com]]|date=March 1, 2010|agency=Associated Press|access-date=March 5, 2010|location=Vancouver|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017012221/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?id=4956641|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Rogge 'happy' but luge death overshadows Vancouver|url=http://news.ph.msn.com/sports/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3914730|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=February 28, 2010|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5nzkxVeGL?url=http://news.ph.msn.com/sports/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3914730|archive-date=March 5, 2010|access-date=March 5, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy }}</ref> The atmosphere surrounding the Olympics, and its inclusion of foreign delegates and guests, was also praised, with many seasoned Winter Olympic observers putting the games at, or near, the top of the list of best ever Winter Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Were these Winter Olympics the best ever?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jamespearce/2010/02/worst_ever_these_olympics_may.html|publisher=BBC|access-date=December 16, 2010|author=James Pearce|date=February 28, 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110125054705/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jamespearce/2010/02/worst_ever_these_olympics_may.html|archive-date=January 25, 2011|url-status= live}}</ref> They were also the best watched Winter Olympics since the [[1994 Olympics]] in Lillehammer.<ref>{{cite web|title=After seven days, Olympic ratings biggest since '94|url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/winter-olympic-ratings-biggest-since-94-2010-02-19|publisher=MSNBC|access-date=December 16, 2010|author=David B. Wilkerson|date=February 19, 2010|archive-date=February 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225153347/http://www.marketwatch.com/story/winter-olympic-ratings-biggest-since-94-2010-02-19|url-status=live}}</ref> They are also mentioned alongside the [[Sydney 2000]] Summer games in regards to the best atmosphere. A large part is credited to the citizens of Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada.<ref>{{cite news|last=Donegan|first=Lawrence|title=Vancouver Winter Olympics Review: 'Mood on the streets was wonderful'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/audio/2010/mar/01/winter-olympics-canada-review|work=The Guardian|format=Audio|date=March 1, 2010|access-date=March 5, 2010|location=London|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100303074824/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/audio/2010/mar/01/winter-olympics-canada-review|archive-date=March 3, 2010|url-status= live}}</ref>

Some members of the media (mostly, and particularly the [[Media of the United Kingdom|British media]]) criticized the Own the Podium and criticized the celebrations as having been somewhat nationalistic,<ref>{{cite news|title=U.K. press slams Canada's hosting of Games|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/u-k-press-slams-canada-s-hosting-of-games-1.932091|publisher=CBC|access-date=December 16, 2010|date=February 15, 2010|archive-date=February 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218141927/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2010/02/15/host-canada-criticism.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Vancouver Games continue downhill slide from disaster to calamity|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/15/vancouver-winter-olympics-2010|work=The Guardian|access-date=December 16, 2010|author=Lawrence Donegan|date=February 15, 2010|location=London|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110127071410/http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/feb/15/vancouver-winter-olympics-2010|archive-date=January 27, 2011|url-status= live}}</ref> but this was not an opinion shared by many. Some suggested that the British media were making these criticisms in order to make the upcoming [[2012 Summer Olympics]] more appealing.<ref>{{cite news|title=Why Britain's Media are Failing at The Vancouver Olympic Games|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-miah/why-britains-media-are-fa_b_470119.html|publisher=Huffington Post|author=Andy Miah|date=February 20, 2010|access-date=January 25, 2011|archive-date=March 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301034508/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-miah/why-britains-media-are-fa_b_470119.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lord [[Sebastian Coe]], chairman of the [[London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games|2012 London Olympic Games Organizing Committee]], attended the Vancouver Olympics to see how the city coped with the challenges of hosting. Lord Coe noted the Games had "gradually recovered from its tumultuous start" and queried that he "never thought the British would find rivals in their preoccupation with the weather which is almost elevated to an Olympic event" as he credited [[Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games|VANOC]] for meeting unforeseen challenges such as the unseasonably warm weather of Cypress Mountain. Coe added "Rarely have I seen a host city so passionate and so ready to embrace the Games".<ref name="telegraph1"/><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/18/sebastian-coe-winter-olympics Sebastian Coe defends Vancouver Winter Olympics from critics|Sport] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328022520/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/18/sebastian-coe-winter-olympics|date=March 28, 2017 }}. theguardian.com (February 18, 2010). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.</ref>

The Vancouver Olympics also organized and hosted the first [[Pride House]] for [[LGBT]] athletes in the history of the event.<ref>[http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/08/10/pride-house-a-necessity-for-all-olympics-not-just-sochi/ "IOC refuses to stand up for gay athletes"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130129161525/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/08/10/pride-house-a-necessity-for-all-olympics-not-just-sochi/|date=January 29, 2013 }}. ''[[National Post]]'', August 10, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pride House: Safe haven at the Games|first=Evan|last=Mitsui|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.722/pride-house-safe-haven-at-the-games-1.930567|newspaper=[[CBC.ca]]|date=14 February 2010|access-date=9 October 2010|archive-date=August 22, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822084438/http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2010/02/14/f-pride-house-olympics.html|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Nelson|first=Dean|title=Why Pride House is the most significant legacy of the 2010 Olympics|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pride-house-vancouver-olympics-1.5463687|work=[[CBC News]]|date=16 February 2020|access-date=23 July 2020|archive-date=September 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902224004/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pride-house-vancouver-olympics-1.5463687|url-status=live }}</ref>

===Funding===
Directly as a result of Canada's medal performance at the 2010 Olympics, the [[Government of Canada]] announced in the [[2010 Canadian federal budget|2010 federal budget]], a new commitment of $34 million over the next two years towards programs for athletes planning to compete in future Olympics.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/More+cash+podium+program/2644957/story.html|title=More cash for Own the Podium|date=March 4, 2010|work=[[Vancouver Sun]]|publisher=Canwest Publishing|access-date=March 5, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> This is in addition to the $11 million per year federal government commitment to the [[Own the Podium]] program.

Also, as a result of hosting the 2010 Olympics, the [[British Columbia government]] pledged to restore funding for sports programs and athlete development to 2008 levels, which amounts to $30 million over three years.<ref>{{cite news
|url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/post-games-no-cash-earmarked-for-own-the-podium/article1487676/
|title = No cash earmarked for Own the Podium
|date = March 4, 2010|work= [[Vancouver Sun]]|publisher= Canwest Publishing
|access-date = March 5, 2010
|location=Toronto|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100304233456/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/post-games-no-cash-earmarked-for-own-the-podium/article1487676/|archive-date=March 4, 2010|url-status= live}}</ref>

=== Usage of venues after the Olympic Games ===

Unlike at previous Games, all new venues were designed with their post-Games use in mind. The [[Richmond Olympic Oval]] was converted from a speed skating oval into an indoor multi-sports centre,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richmond Olympic Oval |url=https://www.cannondesign.com/our-work/work/city-of-richmond-richmond-olympic-oval/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=CannonDesign |language=en |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301172802/https://www.cannondesign.com/our-work/work/city-of-richmond-richmond-olympic-oval/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Hillcrest Centre]] is now a multi-purpose [[community centre]] with hockey rink and swimming pool<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hillcrest Centre - Community + recreation Wood Design + Construction |url=https://www.naturallywood.com/project/hillcrest-centre/ |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=naturally:wood |language=en-US |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301172802/https://www.naturallywood.com/project/hillcrest-centre/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Whistler Olympic Park]] is used for public recreation, athlete training, and competition events.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Overview |url=https://www.whistlersportlegacies.com/whistler-olympic-park/overview |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=Whistler Sport Legacies |language=en |archive-date=March 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301172802/https://www.whistlersportlegacies.com/whistler-olympic-park/overview |url-status=live }}</ref>