With the clock ticking for Calgary to make up its mind on whether to bid on the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games, the director of the bid project group is optimistic the province of Alberta and the Government of Canada will put their support behind the project in the month ahead.
READ MORE: Calgary Olympic bid: IOC likes city’s legacy, including Saddledome, for 2026
Earlier in January, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sent a delegation to Calgary to survey sites and get a sense of the potential of a Calgary bid.
“During the IOC’s visit, we presented our work and demonstrated to the IOC that it is feasible for Calgary to bid,” Ripley told council.
However, just because the group was telling the IOC the Games are feasible doesn’t mean it has made up its mind on whether Calgary should make a bid.
“We needed to present our information to the IOC because if we don’t present in a way that we are feasible, they will obviously not be interested in Calgary for 2026,” Ripley said.
“However, when we present to council and the public we must be able to balance the fact that it is feasible for Calgary to host the Games against the question of if it is prudent to do so.”
Watch below: The City of Calgary is updating its plans for a potential bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. As Doug Vaessen reports, it’s so far so good.
Ripley said making a decision on a bid is something that can’t be done without seeing the host city contract, which the IOC has informed the committee they will receive by June.
“We are in a transition from a bid exploration to a bid corporation, and we fully understand that council has not made the decision to bid on the 2026 Games,” he said.
“Throughout this entire process as a project team, we remain objective.”
Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of Calgary’s possible Olympic bid
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