Justin Trudeau says Calgary needs public support for a 2026 Olympic bid

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the public must be on board to justify the cost of an major sporting event such as the Olympics.

The prime minister talked with Mayor Naheed Nenshi about Calgary’s potential bid for the 2026 Winter Games when he was in Calgary Wednesday.

READ MORE: Calgary City Council vote signals serious interest in looking at 2026 Winter Olympics bid

Nenshi said it was a very cursory discussion.

The mayor also said he’s told both the Alberta and federal governments that he doesn’t need a yes at this point about financial support, but if the answer is going to be no, that will spell the end of the bid.

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Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Games and is now interested in exploring another bid, having committed up to $5 million to study it.

Watch below from Sept. 19: There are some familiar names in charge of exploring a possible Calgary bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Here’s Carolyn Kury de Castillo with more.

1:41 Former CPS Chief Rick Hanson to chair Calgary Olympic exploratory committee

Calgary has 14 months to decide whether it wants to go ahead.

Trudeau said he’s looking forward to hearing more from Calgary as the bid progresses.

READ MORE: Own the Podium chair says stage is set for a 2026 Calgary Winter Oympic bid