Calgary, AB,
23
January
2018
|
09:00
America/Denver

City provides update on Calgary 2026 Olympic Bid Project

The Calgary 2026 Olympic Bid Project Team says its meetings with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week were informative and collaborative. While they were in town, members of the IOC toured the region’s legacy winter sport facilities and learned about the Calgary Team’s vision for the Games, including facility and venue management, event coordination, transportation and logistics, security, etc.

“The visit went very well,” said Kyle Ripley, Director of the Calgary 2026 Olympic Bid Project. “Our project team was able to openly discuss our plans and challenges, and we learned a great deal about the Candidature process and the new IOC criteria.”

The IOC’s new approach to Candidature is part of its Olympic Agenda 2020 program, which is intended to make hosting the Games more sustainable and less costly for Host Cities.

“Our visit to Calgary was a great opportunity to speak with city and provincial leaders about the IOC's new approach to bidding for and organizing the Olympic Winter Games,” says Jacqueline Barrett, Associate Director – Olympic Candidatures. “By working with each city and National Olympic Committee to understand the context and their project, we can provide on-site expertise and technical assistance to help cities develop a project that aligns with local, regional and national long term goals and allows for the hosting of more sustainable, cost- effective Olympic Winter Games.”

Some of the new IOC considerations include cost-saving measures that encourage Host Cities to use existing sport venues and to look beyond city boundaries for facilities.

“As an Olympic athlete, I’m pleased to hear that the IOC is committed to finding innovative ways of hosting the Games,” said Jeff Christie, Olympic luger. “I love representing my country at the Olympics but I want to know that Host Cities are seeing long-term benefits and not compromising their financial standing to host.”

“I thought we had a very productive few days with our IOC partners,” said Chris Overholt, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “The Calgary Olympic Bid Project Team was very well prepared and it reflected in their work and the quality of our meetings. We look forward to continuing to provide our support as we explore the potential of 2026 together.”

Next steps:

  • Calgary City Council has directed the project team to pursue funding commitments for a possible BidCo from the other two orders of government.
  • If funding commitments are secured, City Council would need to decide whether to pursue the development of a BidCo, and the IOC would make additional Expert Visits between March and June of this year.
  • We plan to send a delegation to participate in the PyeongChang Observer Programme. The Observer Programme gives Interested Cities an opportunity to experience the Winter Games first-hand and meet with experts about all aspects of Games management, which would support the development of a stronger bid. If we learn before the PyeongChang Games that the other orders of government will not provide a funding commitment, or if City Council decides not to pursue a bid, we have arranged for travel insurance to cover cancellation costs, if necessary.

The Calgary 2026 Olympic Bid Project Team will provide another update to public and the media in the coming weeks.

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