An Interview with John Furlong:
Life Inside the Pressure Cooker as the Clock Ticks Down to 2010
"People who have spent
most of their lives in sport
know what it's like
to be inside a pressure cooker,
they know what it's like
to have to make decisions
in an instant and they know
what it's like to be surprised
at the finish line."
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
VANCOUVER - For the next six years, Irish-born John Furlong is locked into working and preparing Vancouver, Whistler and all of Canada for the Olympics in 2010. "It's an awesome task," he said, "it's one of the largest logistical exercises for any event, anywhere in the world...it's actually the biggest peacetime event in the world."
John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
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Furlong is the Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. He said his first reaction upon learning that he had been offered the position was the same one he has felt before when facing daunting tasks, “I sort of looked and said ‘now what am I going to do.’”
The scope of the position is enormous, and Furlong said, “when you stop to think about it, it can certainly take your breath away, but let there be no doubt....the Games are coming. They are on and the deadlines are clear – the ceremonies commence at 5 PM on February 12 in 2010.”
It was over a year ago when The Celtic Connection last spoke to John Furlong when he was still President and CEO of the 2010 Olympic Bid Committee. Now, as the whole world knows, on July 2, 2003, Vancouver became the host city for the 2010 Olympic Games. Since that date, things have changed quite dramatically for Canada and for John Furlong.
“When we were bidding,” John said, “we worked very hard but we had no idea whether or not we would be successful, because of course there were also eight other countries bidding for the Games.”
Now, the razor-edge tension that hung over Furlong as he awaited the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision has been replaced with a more confident, a more assured and perhaps, a harder-nosed John Furlong – a CEO in full control of the situation.
“The interesting thing about this task,” he said, “is that we don’t have another organization to compare ourselves with. Certainly, there are Olympic Games in other cities and we are getting help from the IOC and from the Olympic Knowledge Transfer Service, but we have to figure out how to build this organization from scratch and then lower it back down to the ground when it’s over. So, it’s an overwhelming task, but Canadians know how to do these things and our track record is very positive.”
In 1988, Calgary hosted the Winter Olympic Games and they did it well. Furlong said his organization has many great friends in Calgary who have made their extensive resources as available as possible, but the reality is that the Calgary Games were 16 years ago and both the size and complexity of the event has grown exponentially.
THIS WAS THE FRENZIED SCENE at BC Place in Vancouver on July 2, 2003 when the IOC announced that the 2010 Olympic Games would be staged in Canada.
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“The Olympics are changing rapidly and they are quite different now,” he said, “but we’re certainly going to draw on every little bit of expertise that there’s available in this country.”
Furlong has an impressive sports background as a player, coach and administrator. He is an all-around athlete, having competed in his native Ireland in hurling, Gaelic football, basketball and Olympic handball.
“I think that had I not spent most of my life around sport in one way or another, I probably would not really have the mental toughness to face the challenge as it is in front of us now. I use athletics as a force for a lot of things in my life.
“I use athletic analogies all the time to try to articulate a position or strategy to help make a decision. People who have spent most of their lives in sport know what it’s like to be inside a pressure cooker, they know what it’s like to have to make decisions in an instant and they know what it’s like to be surprised at the finish line.
“They also know that challenges can come from anywhere and usually do, so sport is a very good place for honing your skills and your character. When you’ve competed all your life, and if you’re determined enough and there’s enough will and drive, then anything is possible. Sport helps you to come to grips with the fact that you can do anything if you want to do it badly enough.”
He explained the Olympics are like many other tasks you build one day at a time. ”We have been working very hard building our strategic plan, or as we refer to it ‘the master schedule,’ which has multiple, multiple, multiple milestones that have to be met.
“And we start where you should...at the beginning – building a team and putting a structure in place, tackling the significant tasks that have to be done this year, and just move along at a logical pace, never losing sight of where the finish line is.”
He continued, “When we get to the opening ceremonies in 2010, we will have 1,200 to 1,300 full-time people who will have built the raw organization. There will be another 2,000 to 3,000 people who will be employed delivering the Games and they will be recruited at the time.
“On top of that, there will be another 20,000 to 25,000 volunteers who will help stage the various events. In addition, there will be another 10,000 to 20,000 people who will make up the cast of the opening and closing ceremonies. Our job will be to coordinate and bring all those people together and deliver the Games in a spectacular way.”
Furlong said, “I believe that the people of Canada are putting on these Games on and what we must do here is to make them relevant in every part of the country. We must find a way to elevate their importance in the hearts and minds of Canadians.
“The Games need to be spoken about in the schools and embraced by the children. Families must look at this and see an opportunity to improve their own quality of life and be inspired by Olympic values.
“We need to ensure that when the Games are staged, all Canadians are looking in and saying, ‘we put this on together...this is our country showcasing itself to the world.’ We need to define ourselves through the Games, we need the world to look in and say, ‘I now understand what it is to be a Canadian...I now get it’, through the profile of international television and through the microscope of television and media.
“They need to look in and see how Canadian society works, how Canadians function together and what we can do when we hold hands. So, the Canadian public is vital to the success of the Games, it must be relevant in every home, or we will have failed.
“So, the compelling challenge for us – and it is a compelling challenge because Canada is bigger than Europe – is that we must make sure that this message is strong in all communities from here to Newfoundland.”
Speaking about his working hours and the impact this intense dedication has on his family, he said, “well, to be truthful, the project never goes away. The hours are long and it’s quite a comprehensive challenge because we don’t have a team in place yet. We’re just building the team now. It’s very difficult on my family, but they have basically taken the position ‘that if dad is going to be away this much, then we are simply going to participate’.
“My wife and family have all gotten involved and help wherever they can. They have accepted this as part of our lives and they’re excited about it. My children are proudly Canadian, even though they know that half the blood is green and they are also proud of that.”
Speaking about the driving and competitive spirit of the Gaels as a race of people, Furlong said, “I think the Irish are inspired by the fact that they have almost always had to play the role of the underdog.
“The underdog is always more dangerous because it sees everything in terms of opportunity and in terms of everything to be gained. They go into everything full on and they’re relentless in pursuit of their goals. I must say speaking for myself that I am very proud of the fact that the Irish community here is a driven community.
“They are inspired and conduct themselves like they are grateful to be here and contributing to this country. They are involved in every segment of our society and trying to make it better in any way they can, and we should all be doing that..
“But the Irish have a passion to compete and a passion to drive to the finish line and perhaps more so, because they have a history of being the underdog. It’s a good position to be in, and frankly I prefer it to be quite honest.”
Speaking about his plans after the 2010 Olympics, Furling said, “this will probably be the last major initiative that I will do in my lifetime. I will obviously want to share this and do whatever I can to make sure that the impact of the 2010 Olympics never goes away.
“I spent most of my life doing things I love and this is the best possible way to conclude a career. I believe that the Games, well executed, can change the way people live and work and play on a permanent basis.
“We are entering into a period of time that affects the people of this region for decades beyond our lifetime, so we need to be very serious about doing it right. For me, it’s an exciting time and when I reach the end of my life, I will be grateful knowing that I contributed to bringing the 2010 Olympics to Canada.”
“You start at the beginning...and never lose sight of the finish line.”
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