MONTREAL – Those involved in the future of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium are fighting for its chances for the future.
“The RIO should have more power, should have more say, in its own future,” said Lise Bissonnette, President, Advisory Committee on the future of the Olympic Park.
“We are suggesting that the legislation for the RIO be similar for what we are seeing for the Musee de Beaux Arts de Montreal.”
Others are just full of plans.
“If we have a new roof, we will have more events at the Olympic Stadium,” said l Menard, the mayor of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
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And it’s just this sort of optimism that’s been missing since the ‘Big O’ opened in 1976 with the Olympic Games.
Thirty-seven years and $1.5 billion after it opened, the iconic stadium is crumbling beneath the weight of a heavy question mark: What should be done with it now?
Can it be a viable venture with out a major sports franchise?
Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist thinks this is unlikely.
“The answer’s no. Absolutely not. There aren’t enough events during the course of the year to generate enough revenue.”
Perhaps the most infamous problem with the stadium is its fabric roof.
“Fixing the roof, whether it’s $30 million or $80 million, it’s not going to solve that problem,” said Zimbalist.
“It’s never a good idea to say ‘build it and they will come’ – particularly in this day and age with fiscal stringency.”
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