First Nations say the decision by the B.C. government to not support an Indigenous-led bid for the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a step back for reconciliation.
This would have been the first Olympic bid led by an Indigenous group but the province said it could not support it.
“I’m truly disheartened today. More so than yesterday when I heard the news,” Wilson Williams, Squamish Nation councillor and spokesperson said.
The bid was backed by four Nations – the Lil’wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.
The B.C. government announced Thursday it could not support the bid due to more pressing issues facing the province, such as housing and cost of living.
Earlier this year, the provincial government estimated that hosting the games would be about $4 billion.
The government would have to pay about $1.2 billion of that and another $1 billion in liability risk.
“We did invite the province to come to our table to talk about this,” Jen Thomas, chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation said. “We were asked from the province about why we want the Olympics, why is it so important to us, and we didn’t even get the opportunity to share that with them.”
“Our process with the 2030 bid involved inviting government entities and working groups to our table because this is an Indigenous-led process, but the province has pushed our chairs away and had this discussion at their own table without including us in meaningful discussion,” Thomas added.
The First Nations said the bid represented a chance for reconciliation, that, if successful, would have brought Indigenous views into the international spotlight.
However, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up and the 2025 Invictus Games, the Nations are calling on the province to make sure Indigenous leadership is a critical part of those games.
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