Calgarians asked to weigh in on potential 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid

The Calgary Bid Exploration Committee (CBEC) has launched an open online questionnaire to gather citizens’ thoughts and opinions surrounding a potential bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Hosted on CBEC’s website, shouldcalgarybid.com, the questionnaire is targeted to all residents of Calgary and the Bow Valley Corridor, including Banff, Canmore and Cochrane as well as nearby First Nations.

“Understanding what people in Calgary and the surrounding area think about a potential bid is an important part of our exploration process,” said Brian Hahn, General Manager of CBEC. “We want to know where they see the benefits to submitting a bid but also what their concerns are.”

Results from the public questionnaire, along with the results of other future public engagement, will be integrated into CBEC’s final report which will be presented to Calgary City Council by July. The report will assess how a potential 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid would fit in the long-term plans and aspirations of the city and region and whether a bid would serve to advance progress on these plans. Data will be gathered through April for inclusion into the report.

The City of Calgary announced a bid exploration in July of 2016 and the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee Board was formed in September. The mandate of CBEC is to examine the feasibility of bidding for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games and to make a recommendation to City Council on whether Calgary should proceed with a formal bid. Council will make the final decision on whether to proceed or not with a formal bid.

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Media inquiries should be directed to the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee.