Bob Mackin
FIFA World Cup managers at Vancouver city hall are turning the mega-event concept on its head after comparisons to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics led critics to wonder what will be left behind.
A presentation to an Ottawa briefing for diplomats from countries playing first round matches in Canada contained an eye-catching slogan.
From the City of Vancouver presentation to a March 26, 2026 meeting of diplomats hosted in Ottawa by Global Affairs Canada. (ATIP)
“Legacy isn’t what you get. It’s what you give,” said the headline. “Together, we shape how the world experiences Vancouver — not just during the tournament, but long after the final whistle.”
Taxpayers in B.C. are giving as much as $729 million, according to the province.
Vancouver and Toronto sent managers to the March 26 meeting. Toronto provided its presentation, under the freedom of information law, to theBreaker on May 14, five days quicker than Vancouver.
They both gave overviews of hosting and transportation plans, including stadium renovations.
Toronto spent $146 million, mainly for temporary expansion of BMO Field from 27,000 seats to 45,000. Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium spent $109 million, including new exterior elevators, a private entrance and expanded hospitality spaces, including the 750-capacity Field Club on level 1 and 600-capacity Corner Club on level 3.
Both cities promoted their FIFA Fan Festivals and Last Mile pedestrian approaches to the venues. Toronto touted a World Cup construction moratorium. For Vancouver, the provincial government’s B.C. Business House economic development exhibit and party space at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Toronto city hall’s presentation cover. (City of Toronto)
Now, onto your hump day headlines from the Pacific Rim and the Pacific Northwest.
Around the Rim
Last month, hantavirus and Ebola were jockeying for attention. But COVID-19 is back, according to Focus Taiwan.
It reported cases in Taiwan are on the rise for the third straight week. Outpatient and emergency room visits reached the 1,000 mark, up 4.1%.
Taiwan’s disease control agency said 80% of cases involved people 65 and up and 80% had pre-existing health conditions. None had the latest vaccine.
For those keeping score at home, “the dominant circulating variants are currently BA.3.2 and XFG, followed by NB.1.8.1.”
Kyodo News reported Japan’s entry in the FIFA World Cup trained in front of 5,000 fans after arriving in Nashville.
The 26-man squad under coach Hajime Moriyasu acclimatized to the heat in Monterrey, Mexico, before holding a light session at Geodis Park, the Major League Soccer stadium in Music City.
The Nashville MLS stadium is a training centre for Japan.
“Japan will return to Monterrey ahead of playing their second game against Tunisia there on June 20 before facing Sweden back at Dallas Stadium five days later. They will stay in Nashville between matches.”
ABC News Australia is taking an in-depth look at dead pedophile Rolf Harris, examining how he “hid in plain sight.”
Entertainer Harris was the face of 1985’s Kids Can Say No! campaign. Almost 30 years later, he was convicted in the United Kingdom of sexually assaulting four underage girls. He is the subject of the “Primetime Predator” documentary, which points out he was never tried in Australia, where “victims never got to prove their allegations.”
Harris was a frequent visitor to Vancouver, appearing on the annual Variety Club telethon in the 1970s and 1980s.
Cascadia Calling
When Lego and Star Wars collide: The Oregonian said a Keizer, Ore. Lego retailer closed after “viral videos claim $200,000 collection theft.”
“A series of viral YouTube videos about an Oregon man’s missing Star Wars Lego collection pulled a toy resale franchise in Keizer into a two-state legal and internet entanglement that resulted in the store closing.”
Ahead of six FIFA World Cup matches in Lumen Field — home of the two-time MLS Cup winning Seattle Sounders and two-time Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks — Seattle Times looked at the 11 Washington State players who appeared in the World Cup.
Among the five men, goalkeeper Kasey Keller, from Lacey, a four-time World Cupper. Jordan Morris from Mercer Island.
Of the six on the women’s side, three-timer Hope Solo of Richland was the tournament’s top goalkeeper in 2015 when the U.S. beat Japan in Vancouver. Shoreline’s Michelle Akers shared FIFA’s female player of the century with China’s Sun Wen.
Cascadia Daily News in Bellingham reported that “Officials still don’t have clear idea of wait times at U.S.-Canada border during World Cup.”
At least, it is expected to be larger than the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Also from the independent, Elliott Almond’s feature on the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps: “Shine is off golden age of Vancouver soccer.”
“The Whitecaps — the closest team to most Whatcom County fans — have emerged as one of Major League Soccer’s premier clubs…. [but] the convergence of the team’s success and the men’s World Cup Canadian debut has left a bittersweet taste.”
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