[Rumour] Calgary preparing for 2026 Winter Olympics bid. May open door to CalgaryNEXT funding

[SuperMatt18]

Vancouver's was a success, it worked fine in Calgary in 1988, and it was a success in Salt Lake City as well.

The Winter Olympics tend to be fine, as you tend to only need one main rink and we have the mountains for the ski/snowboard facilities already.

Sochi was the exception since they decided they wanted to host the Olympics in what traditionaly was a resort town in the middle of nowhere.

If we can get the same use out of the new facilities,as we did from our old 1988 facilities then it is worth it. In reality all of these facilities (COP/OVAL/Saddledome) are going to need to be renovated if we want to keep using them by 2026 anyways. At that point it will be 38 years after they were built.

Use Calgary 88, Salt Lake 02, and Vancouver 10 as your blueprints and I feel like there will be no issue in hosting the event.

[cam_wmh]

Did the Provincial and Federal governments commit money for Vancouver 2010?

EDIT:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_of_the_Olympic_Games

Apparently US$2.3 billion

Included in the total US$6.4 billion cost are the $1 billion for security, $2.5 billion for transportation extensions and upgrades, and $900 million for the new Vancouver Convention Centre (An additional $554 million was spent by the city including a portion on the Olympic Village).

[Ozy_Flame]

Keep in mind a bid doesn't mean a win; we'd have to be able to show a better opportunity to the IOC than other competitors.

So it's not just about pleasing citizens and hockey team owners; it's about pleasing an international community as well.

[Magnum PEI]

Probably a cheaper way to hold what amounts to a two-week party for wealthy young Europeans and Americans with meaningless hobbies. An annual EDM festival with the biggest names would work better IMO.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

How does making the facility tied to the Olympics somehow make it a more lasting legacy than if it's not tied to the Olympics? Because the whole world gets to see the new facilty for two weeks?

In general, because you are selling national pride, which is something a populace typically has an easier time accepting, and therefore, so too do politicians. Any time one of the local papers has run polls on whether we want to host another Olympics, the answer is always an overwhelming yes.

One of the bigger challenges with envisioning the costs of a 2026 Olympics in Calgary is the fact that that would make every venue we currently have 11 years older. So while we can contemplate using some existing facilities, they would still need some pretty significant renovations.

But I think there are ways to reduce some costs.

Looking at Sochi, they built seven facilities for the non-skiing events:

Hockey (x2): CalgaryNEXT would be the main facility in this case, but why not send some of the 'lesser' games to Red Deer? Perfectly good facility that fits 7000 and no new costs.

Curling: A renovated Corral probably works best for this.

Short track speed skating: Marshall McPhail Centre. No new costs.

Speed Skating: The Olympic Oval. Renovations would be required.

Medal Plaza: Olympic Plaza already exists, no new costs.

Opening/Closing ceremonies: The Fieldhouse/Stadium.

Figure skating is the problem here. Sochi shared it with short track. Calgary shared it with ice hockey - but with women's hockey now on the calendar, I can't see that being feasible, and the McPhail Centre would be too low capacity.

Alternatively: Curling at the McPhail Centre, figure skating and men's hockey at the NEXT arena, women's hockey (except team Canada games) and short track at the Corral.

Edit: I was assuming the Saddledome is torn down by this time, but if we bid on an Olympics now, then it stands to reason they would keep that arena around until these games. That would make things like hockey and figure skating far, far easier to schedule.


For Mountain events...

Biathalon, Nordic combined, X-country, moguls, free style could all be held at the same spots as 1988, some renovations required.

Snowboard events integrated into COP.

Ski jumping - New facility required (won't be at COP in all likelihood)

Bobsleigh/luge/skeleton - Tear down the existing track and rebuild? Essentially a new facility.

Alpine - I don't ski, so can't say if any existing location meets needs, but I would imagine it could be done with renovations.

Won't be remotely cheap, but we could probably pull it off cheaper than most other locations that haven't already hosted a Winter Games.

[RM14]

^Figure Skating in Saddledome

[tvp2003]

Just throwing this out there -- if CalgaryNext gets built and McMahon gets bulldozed, could that be a potential candidate for a new Olympic Village?

[The Hendog]

Interesting article that focuses on how the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver created major infrastructure projects that will have the most lasting impact on the city; no necessarily in an increase in tourism or prestige that an Olympics apparently brings (or doesn't bring according to this study). A large amount of funding for these infrastructure projects was from the Provincial and Federal governments. Now if the Olympics helps Calgary get more funding for the CalgaryNext Project, LRT to the Airport, improved winter sports facilities and improved roadways - I am all for it!!! We can use the Olympics as a means to improve our city for the future, like we did in 88, and capitalize on funding from multiple levels of government not just local. And as others have stated if we can manage the Olympics properly, once again like we did in 88, we should be able to break even. Lots of good for the City could come from this.

Quote that sums things up

"The best way to think about this is in terms of leveraging … and what you are attempting to do is use the vehicle of the event [Olympics] to achieve other public policy objectives,” he said. “Arguably the Sea-to-Sky Highway, the Canada Line, the Convention Centre, the community centres, those are the other public policy objectives that you are trying to achieve – and the Games provided the vehicle for doing that.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle15036916/

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Just throwing this out there -- if CalgaryNext gets built and McMahon gets bulldozed, could that be a potential candidate for a new Olympic Village?

I actually think West Village would make a perfect candidate for an Olympic village, especially if there's a arena/stadium. Build them as condos that you can sell after the Games.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I actually think West Village would make a perfect candidate for an Olympic village, especially if there's a arena/stadium. Build them as condos that you can sell after the Games.

Exactly what happened to the old Olympic Village

[Jordan!]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Exactly what happened to the old Olympic Village

I used to live there, in Coach Hill. Turned into very expensive condos

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Tacopuck

I'm 100% for supporting an Olympic Bid. 27 years after the 1988 Olympics I am still using some of the facilities that were built for it.

Examples:
- Olympic Oval and Oval Hockey rink
- Nakiska
- Saddledome (yes I know this wasn't built specifically for the olympics)
- COP and the Winsport complex that has been built around it in the years following

Don't forget the NW LRT line.

I'd host a two week Samba competition if it meant getting some sweet sweet government money for the Green Line.

[Northendzone]

persoanlly, i think spending money on the olympics is a bad idea - to me it would just be cheaper to not host the games, and just update the required facilities. it costs millions just to submit a bid.

as a resident, i would not be excited to deal with traffic nightmares (shutting down lanes on roadways so olympic officials can cruise in comfort and not ahve to be bothered with traffic) and the increases to the cost of living.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

If i am not mistaken, the 1988 Olympics were the first winter Olympics to turn a profit

Maybe I was too young to remember correctly but I seem to recall huge amounts of sponsorship from Oil & Gas and that was one of the reasons why it was profitable. Is that true? I have pictures of a tiny me wearing Petro Canada Olympic apparel.

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

He's right though. It will be very tough to reuse the buildings from 1988 which are being reused for these new Olympics after having been reused by the public for the last 27 years.

I got you.....

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Exactly what happened to the old Olympic Village

Technically the old athletes village was at the UofC.
The Signal Hill condos were for the international media.

[BigFlameDog]

If it breaks even or actually turned even a $2 profit then who gives a crap if the olympics are only two weeks and a vacation for rich whomever.....

Calgary would have had another amazing two week party and lasting legacies of buildings and facilities that are paid for.

I swear some of you aren't happy unless you are complaining.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Maybe I was too young to remember correctly but I seem to recall huge amounts of sponsorship from Oil & Gas and that was one of the reasons why it was profitable. Is that true? I have pictures of a tiny me wearing Petro Canada Olympic apparel.

The IOC had a new marketing strategy that took effect in 1988, which helped Calgary a lot. Also of benefit was the American broadcasters waaaaay overpaid for TV rights.

[Domoic]

I was 18 years old and living in Calgary when the city hosted the Games.

You think the Stampede is a party?

You think the Red Mile in '04 was a big deal?

I was blown away by what transpired during that 2 week period in 1988.

I cannot think of any single event that transformed the city more than the Olympic games did.

Assuming some level of fiscal responsibility, everyone living in Alberta should want this.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I actually think West Village would make a perfect candidate for an Olympic village, especially if there's a arena/stadium. Build them as condos that you can sell after the Games.

Given the cost to develop/remediate I would imagine you would have to maximize the value/profit from developing that remaining land; not sure if building an Olympic village and then converting it to condo's would do that.

On some level we could look to what Vancouver did for 2010 (which was was converted to condos/mixed use)...