Vancouver’s shot at hosting 2030 Winter Olympics dims

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Category: Sports

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. stage / steɪdʒ / (v.) – to plan and organize an event
    Example:

    The teachers staged a protest against the university budget cut.


  2. take time to (do something) / teɪk taɪm tuh / (idiom) – to do something carefully without hurrying
    Example:

    The police said they were taking time to confirm all the facts before releasing any statement.


  3. bow out / bəʊ aʊt / (phrasal v.) – to stop joining or participating in an activity or event
    Example:

    The whole team felt sad when the team captain decided to bow out.


  4. prime / praɪm / (v.) – to make someone or something prepared for a particular event or situation
    Example:

    After months of training, our students are primed for the international competition.


  5. reworking / ˌri ˈwɝ kɪŋ / (n.) – the act of changing something to improve it or make it suitable
    Example:

    We have decided to do a reworking of some scenes in the play to make the story more interesting.


Article

Read the text below.

British Columbia’s government will not support Vancouver’s bid to hold the 2030 Olympics in the province, a move that places Salt Lake City closer to bringing the Games back to Utah.


BC’s minister of tourism, arts, culture and sports said that the cost of staging an Olympics was the main reason the government could not support the effort.


“The current bid has an estimated cost of $1.2 billion and $1 billion in additional risk, and when we measured that against our government’s priorities, we believe we need to focus on people,” Lisa Beare said.


Canada’s Olympic committee said it was “taking time to process” the B.C. announcement and is planning a news conference.


If Vancouver bows out, it would leave Salt Lake City and Sapporo, Japan, as the two remaining candidates.


Salt Lake City hosted the Olympics in 2002 and has said that with some of the infrastructure from those games still in play, it is ready to bring the games back.


Though the Salt Lake City bid appeared more primed for 2034, officials there and at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have consistently said they would be able to host in 2030 if called upon.


A 2030 Games would create issues in the United States, as it would come less than two years after the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and would force a reworking of many of the sponsorship arrangements in place for those games.


Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 and was in the bidding process for 2026 until it dropped out.


The IOC is expected to choose the host for 2030 next year.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Due to high costs, British Columbia has decided not to support Vancouver for the 2030 Olympics bid. What do you think their citizens will feel about this (ex. it’s a wise decision, it’s a wasted opportunity)? Discuss.
  • If Vancouver bows out, it would leave Salt Lake City and Sapporo, Japan, as the two remaining candidates. What do you think should be the basis for choosing which city would host the Winter Olympics (ex. infrastructure, experience in hosting the Olympics)? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Why do you think some cities or countries are willing to host the Olympics even if it would cost them a lot of money? Discuss.
  • A news source said that in previous years, many cities from different countries were joining the bid to host the Olympics. But in 2022, at least five potential host cities withdrew from the bid. What do you think are the possible reasons why these cities changed their mind? Discuss.