By Lucy Nersesian
Ryerson president Claude Lajeunesse has been appointed to the board of directors for Toronto’s 2008 Olympic Bid.
Lajeunesse, York University president Lorna Marsden and University of Toronto president Robert Prichard, have been chosen by the city to sit on the board.
They will join 96 other members who will review proposals for the Olympic bid process. The board will meet four times a year.
BidCo. Is the company organizing Toronto’s 2008 Olympic bid. The person running the show is former mayor and Ryerson’s chancellor David Crombie.
“Toronto is considered the front runner but if China enters, they’ll be the front runners,” said Jeff Evanson, a BidCo. organizer.
Osaka is the only other city officially nominated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Presenting a bid will cost $40 million. Up to 11 cities are expected to battle for the Olympics, with the winner selected in three years by a secret ballot.
But what does Ryerson stand to gain if Toronto wins the bid?
During the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, the University of Calgary received $212 million for new facilities.
A Toronto Olympics could mean new facilities for Ryerson, but Evanson warns: “In Calgary, there was one university, in Toronto there are three — U of T, York and Ryerson.”
Lajeunesse’s role on the board of directors has not been outlined yet. The president was unavailable for comment.
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