Calgary Bid Exploration Committee update

Today, City of Calgary Administration determined that the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee (CBEC) has met their mandate through their work and has presented two options for Council’s consideration regarding the next steps for the Olympic Bid Exploration work.

Option 1 was to not move forward with a bid and to use the work CBEC prepared to develop a 1988 Olympic facility lifecycle strategy and return to Council with a recommendation for sustaining the facilities no later than Q3 2018.

Option 2 was to utilize the IOC’s extended timeline to explore potential funding opportunities with other orders of government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As well, the additional time would be used to address critical criteria, explained in more detail in Attachment 4 of Administration’s report, prior to The City of Calgary moving beyond the IOC’s Invitation Phase.

Council endorsed Option 2 which will provide Administration with the time to investigate potential solutions that could help reduce The City’s risks of bidding for a potential 2026 Winter Games.

Administration would like to acknowledge the CBEC volunteer board and staff for their robust, thoughtful and detailed work in exploring a potential Olympic bid.

“I want to sincerely thank CBEC for their hard work and diligence in exploring the feasibility of an Olympic bid”, said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “It’s remarkable what CBEC has been able to accomplish since forming late last year and I’m confident their work and findings will be put to good use by The City of Calgary.”

Regardless of Council’s decision to pursue a bid for the 2026 Winter Games, CBEC has delivered a valuable report that supports various City initiatives and provides valuable information about the costs to sustain and/or upgrade Calgary’s 1988 Olympic facilities to maintain Calgary’s reputation as a winter sports city.

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