It's Official: Right To Play is barred from 2010 Vancouver Olympic village
It’s official now: Right To Play, the charity of choice for this country’s Olympians, will be barred from the athletes village at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
For the first time since its inception in 1992, Right To Play, which began as Olympic Aid under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee, will not be able to spread the word about their programs to educate and uplift youth in some of the most desolate places in the world through sport.
The Star first reported the news that the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) had denied Right To Play access to the village because the humanitarian organization had sponsors that directly conflicted with their own.
These include Mitsubishi, which had recently given Right To Play a $480,000 donation. General Motors Canada has a $67 million deal with VANOC and their communications director, Stu Low, complained there was “guerilla marketing going on.”
A public backlash when the news about the ban broke prompted VANOC and GM Canada to say the issue was being revisited and both expressed confidence the issues could be resolved.
But Johann Olav Koss, the ceo of Right To Play, said he had received a letter from the International Olympic Committee saying that they would not be accepted into the village and that they were not renewing the memorandum of understanding the two groups shared. That means they will have no village access and won’t be officially part of of the Olympics in any way.
Koss said he never heard back from VANOC after they went public saying they would work to resolve the issues.
“We sent suggestions of how we could partner without infringing on their Olympic rights and, of course, their sponsors, which we are in full support of,” Koss said. “And we have never had any issues with our normal Olympic partners and have never of course given them any access to the village. I sent them suggestions for partnership. I never heard back from them, with the exception of this letter I received from the IOC.”
The letter from the IOC came at the end of December.
“I got it the day before Christmas Eve, so it was a nice Christmas present,” said Koss.
The IOC (International Order or Corruption) once again has shown that the almighty dollar rules the show. They tell us the olympics is about sportsmanship and fairness. Then they will not allow an origination that tries to bring joy to those less fortunate because they are sponsored by someone other than the official corporate sponsor. What a joke!
Posted by: Jon | January 21, 2009 at 03:38 PM
Send an email of complaint to your MP.
Posted by: Zo | January 21, 2009 at 04:15 PM
For everyone that is upset over this - get over it. The olympics are a business and nothing else. Corporations rule the games. I am not surprised at all by this news byte.
Posted by: Rob | January 21, 2009 at 04:53 PM
IOC? Let's not lose focus here. VANOC and IOC are acting because GM is pushing them to do so. Show GM how much you enjoy their "Olympic" spirit by showing yours and NOT buying any GM products.
Posted by: Leafs4Ever | January 21, 2009 at 05:01 PM
Absolutely disgusting. GM expects us to be okay with sending them billions when they have no human decency to support actual Olympic ideals?
Posted by: AM | January 21, 2009 at 06:11 PM
Maybe GM will be bankrupt and gone before the Olympics.
Here's hoping :-)
Posted by: BigPD | January 21, 2009 at 07:25 PM
Folks, we should get used to the concept by now. The Olympic ideal is not about sport, fellowship and international cooperation. It's about greed. It's about money. It's about corporate logos and sponsorship rights. It's about TV contracts and broadcast rights. It's about money, money, money, money and more money.
The Olympic motto has been changed from "Swifter, Stronger, Higher" to: "Bigger, Fatter, Profits"
Everything else, you know all those athletes competing and such? That's just window dressing.
Posted by: Mike | January 21, 2009 at 07:58 PM
Who cares at all about the olympics anymore?
It's a corrupt cash grab by a bunch of europeans.
Vancouver and it's citizens will come running to Ottawa for a handout in about 2011 when they see the debt and mess they've created.
Posted by: John Hodkins | January 22, 2009 at 01:38 PM
AS AN EX OLYMPIC TRIPLE MEDALIST FROM VANCOUVER IAM ASHAMED
AT THE SHABBY TREATMENT FROM VANOC AND THE IOC OF SUCH A WORTHY ORGANIZATION. THEY CAN TRY AND SPIN THIS, BUT I THINK THE PUBLIC AND THE QUIET (UNFORTUNATELY) MAJORITY SEE RIGHT THROUGH THEM. ITS THE ATHLETES AND THERE CAUSES THAT THIS SHOULD BE ALL ABOUT NOT THE SELF INTEREST POWER AND CONTROL FREAKS. THE ATHLETES THERE SACRIFICE AND STRUGGLES REAL HEROES
THEY ARE THE ONLY HONEST SAVIOUR OF MOST GAMES IN THE END
"JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY THATS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT"
GOOD JOB RANDY AND THE STAR ON YOUR ONGOING AMATUER SUPPORT
ELAINE TANNER O.C
Posted by: ELAINE TANNER OC | January 22, 2009 at 09:24 PM
I think it is interesting that I haven't heard anything about this in the local media in Vancouver. They should all be embarrassed.
Posted by: CanadianOwl | January 29, 2009 at 02:47 AM