John Furlong

As the world celebrated the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, John Furlong became a familiar figure to all watching. The CEO of VANOC, Furlong led the teams that organized and staged both the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Helping to improve the fabric of Canadian society has always been one of Furlong’s steadfast goals, and he has been a key player in demonstrating that the Games can be a true nation builder.

Prior to his appointment at VANOC in 2004, Furlong was the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation. He helped lead the organization through numerous phases. In his role, he became the Bid’s international face and key spokesperson, tirelessly clocking more than 1.2 million miles in his travels to promote the Bid.

Furlong has been involved with athletics all his life, competing and coaching at the international level in three sports. A long time member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, he has also served as chair of the BC Summer and Winter Games and Sport BC. He founded the Northern BC Winter Games Society, and served British Columbia at seven Canada Games and two Western Canada Games.

Furlong’s service to sport has landed him with numerous community awards, among them the Darrel Thompson and Kaizan Awards for services to sport in British Columbia over a lifetime. He was voted Canada’s Sport Executive of the Year for his contribution to the Vancouver 2010 Bid, and named Vancouver’s Executive of the Year by the Vancouver Executive Association. He was acclaimed as the 2004 Canadian Sport Awards’ Sport Leadership Winner for his service to sport in Canada over a lifetime. Furlong has won Vancouver’s most prestigious tourism award for the promotion of Vancouver around the world and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame as the 2004 W.A.C. Bennett Award winner. In January 2009, Furlong was voted by the Globe and Mail as Canada’s Most Influential Sport Figure. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2010.

A former Canadian squash champion, Furlong continues to play and work out when he can. Born in Tipperary, Ireland, Furlong has five children and nine grandchildren. 

• The 2010 Winter Games — Celebrating the Possible

  John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, will share his views on the inspiration that can be drawn from the Olympic and Paralympic Movements and the Games celebrations. Mr. Furlong will provide an overview of the Games and offer insights into the resulting human legacies.

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