Sport Calgary Supports Exploring a 2026 Olympic Bid

CALGARY, Alberta — Sport Calgary commended the three orders of government, led by the City of Calgary, for their joint approach to establish an Olympic bid corporation. The entity will further test feasibility and public support for the 2026 Olympics bid through extensive economic analysis and community consultation.

This collaboration between different levels of government is an important step in deciding whether to bid. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will allow cities to bid starting October 2018, with a final bid deadline of January 2019.

"With the resources in place to carry on through the "dialogue" phase, the potential benefits and risks can be objectively and practically identified in the context of a bid," said Murray Sigler, Sport Calgary CEO. "This is a big decision. We need to see what Calgarians think of the Olympics, within the timeframes available for the bid committee to carry on its work and report back to the City, Provincial, and Federal governments. This engagement needs to be complete before deciding whether to proceed into the bid candidature stage."

The Olympics were last hosted in Calgary in 1988, after the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA) spent considerable time and effort building support with various levels of government and the broader public.

"We are confident the process can lead to a winning bid, broadly supported by an informed and engaged public," said Sigler. "However, the social and economic benefits - and legacies - must be clearly identified and demonstrated to outweigh the risks. If those net benefits are not clear, then public support won't follow. Government decisions will be taken within the established parameters, in conjunction with yesterday's cost sharing announcements."

"Calgary is an international sport city with a strong Olympic legacy. Let's find out if it makes sense to do it again."

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About Sport Calgary

Sport Calgary is a volunteer non-profit society, representing sport in the city of Calgary. In 2017, Sport Calgary was designated as a Civic Partner of the City of Calgary. As an advocate of sport, we strive to assist, support and influence the growth of sport in Calgary by: 

•         Playing a lead role in the implementation of the Calgary Civic Sport Policy, and ensuring it continues to create a vision for sport in Calgary from introductory to high performance levels. 

•         Continually identifying and assessing the needs of the sport community and facility stakeholders. 

•         Encouraging development and enhancement of appropriate facilities and the efficient utilization of current facilities. 

•         Fostering collaboration within the sport community and coordination of resources among stakeholders to develop and enhance facilities. 

•         Increasing the profile of sport in Calgary, and advocating the values and benefits of sport. 

•         Facilitating education and training opportunities for athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, parents and volunteers. 

•         Acting as a resource for sport organizations. 

•         Encouraging the hosting of sport events and sport tourism in Calgary.