Get ready for a wild ride Prince George.
In three years, the city will play host to a sporting event like no other -- the 2015 Canada Winter Games -- one that will forever change the city in much the same way the 2010 Winter Olympics left its mark on Vancouver-Whistler.
That's a message John Furlong will be bringing to Prince George next weekend as guest speaker of the Bob Ewert Memorial Lecture and Dinner at the Civic Centre. The 61-year-old CEO of the 2010 Winter Olympics speaks from experience and knows what the people of Prince George are capable of when it comes to putting on a spectacular show.
"This experience you're about to have will be profound, it will be one of the great experiences in the city's history," said Furlong, in a conference call from Vancouver.
"The event in Prince George is a smaller version [of the Olympics] but it will feel just as big. It's going to be a very overwhelming experience, but in a positive way. It will touch every citizen and no matter how hard you try to stay away from it, you won't be able to, and that's a good thing.
"When you come out of the Games you will have facilities that you have put in place for the Games, you'll have dressed the city up, but the most important legacy is will be the human one that's left behind. It's the attitude in the city and the feeling that you can take anything on and deliver it a high level because you will have already done that."
The Games, set for Feb. 12- March 1, 2015, will attract an estimated 3,700 athletes, 6,000 volunteers, 1,300 officials, media, medical staff, and thousands of tourists, resulting in an economic impact of at least $70 million. Furlong says it will be an opportunity local residents should embrace.
