Vancouver still to solve Whistler housing problem-IOC

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 29 (Reuters) Organisers of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics still need to solve an accommodation problem in their mountain venue of Whistler after a temporary housing plan fell through due to excessive cost, the IOC said today.

Whistler, which is 120 km (75 miles) north of the city, will host several events, including all Alpine and Nordic skiing disciplines.

Vancouver Games organisers (VANOC) had initially planned for some temporary accommodation to be build there but scrapped the idea due to the high cost involved.

IOC Vancouver Games Chief Inspector Rene Fasel told the International Olympic Committee Executive Board there were still problems with accommodation there.

''Mr Fasel mentioned the difficulty of accommodation in Whistler,'' IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli told reporters.

Felli said the problem, also encountered in the Turin Games this year, was partly caused by an increased number of people, including media, sponsors and broadcasters, who wanted to stay on the mountain.

Another reason was the distance to Vancouver.

''First of all, it is a difficulty that became clear in Torino that more people want to stay in the mountains,'' Felli said.

''At the time, it was proposed by Vancouver to build temporary housing in Whistler,'' Felli said. ''They (VANOC) are trying to find another solution that will be cheaper than temporary housing.'' The distance between Vancouver and Whistler has been a problem since the western Canadian city bid for the 2010 Games and was not helped when a plan to construct a new motorway connecting the two fell through due to the pressure it would put on the budget.

VANOC has had to review its budget due to a construction boom in western Canada that has driven up prices.

Canada has painful memories of Olympic cost overruns from the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, which left the city in debt, although the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta made a profit.

REUTERS PDS RN2044