Government of Canada, Province of Alberta and the City of Calgary Announce Support for the Creation of a Bid Corporation for Potential Calgary 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid

News release

CALGARY, March 29, 2018

The Olympic and Paralympic Games inspire Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Our athletes reach for the podium, set records and personal bests, and create moments that last with us forever.

Thirty years after Calgary hosted the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, those moments remain. Most recently, with the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, we have seen how sport can bring people together.

That is why the Government of Canada, the Province of Alberta and the City of Calgary are pleased to announce their support for the establishment of a bid corporation that will continue the development of hosting plans and a fully costed event budget that will inform a bid to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Calgary.

Canada has a proud history of successfully hosting major international sport events and benefitting from the lasting legacies that they create. Hosting the Games presents an opportunity for social and economic benefits and legacies, and can also result in strong investments in culture, job creation, business and tourism development, and community engagement.

Today’s announcement means Calgary is one step further in the bid process. Calgary entered the Dialogue stage of the 2026 candidature process of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in October 2017. The IOC will select “interested cities” to move from the Dialogue stage to the Candidature stage in October 2018, with the successful host city to be announced in September 2019.

Quotes

“We are always happy to see cities and sport partners showing interest in hosting national and international sport competitions, as these events support our athletes, our communities and our economy, and help galvanize a country around the power of sport. With the City and Province now on board, our government is pleased to provide support for the creation of a bid corporation for a potential Calgary 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We look forward to continuing to work with our government partners in Alberta and Calgary, as well as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees.”

—The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities

“Sport is an important part of Alberta’s culture, and the province continues to gain international recognition for its ability to host successful world-class sporting events, including the Olympic Games. Participating in the bid process will allow us to further examine the costs associated with hosting the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games and ensure they are carefully balanced around the needs and expectations of Albertans, within the greater context of Alberta’s economic recovery.”

—The Honourable Ricardo Miranda, Alberta Minister of Culture and Tourism, Minister responsible for sport

“This partnership is an exciting step towards determining if a bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is right for Calgary. We have a strong legacy of sport in this city and we know we can host a great Games, and now, alongside our partners in the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada, we can continue to figure out if a 2026 Bid is the best interests of our citizens.”

—His Worship Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary

Quick facts

  • The 2026 Winter Games will be the 25th edition of the Winter Olympic Games and 14th edition of the Winter Paralympic Games. Canada hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1988 (Calgary), the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2010 (Vancouver) and the Summer Olympic Games in 1976 (Montréal).

  • If a Calgary bid is successful, it will be the first time that Calgary will host a Paralympic Games. The first time that the Paralympic Games were hosted at the same site as the Olympic Winter Games was in 1992 in Albertville, France.

  • Both the bid and the hosting of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games can be excellent opportunities to engage Indigenous groups in promoting Indigenous involvement in sport and in showcasing Indigenous culture as part of a broad celebration of diversity and inclusion. The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that Indigenous Peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in the Games.

  • Through initiatives developed out of the Olympic Agenda 2020 strategic framework, the IOC is seeking to make the Games more accessible, easier to operate and less expensive. One such initiative is a measure outlined in the IOC’s New Norm report, which encourages sustainability of the Games through the use of existing infrastructure; if new infrastructure is required, it should reflect the needs of the community and leave a positive legacy of the Games.

  • Important next steps are incorporating a bid corporation, further developing hosting plans and budgets that will inform government decisions on hosting, and the IOC’s selection of interested cities to move to the Candidature stage.

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Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Annabelle Archambault
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Science and
Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
819-953-1275

Marion Nader
Press Secretary
Alberta Ministry of Culture and Tourism
780-289-5944

Media Relations
City of Calgary
403-828-2954
Media.Relations@calgary.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca

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