Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [News] UPD: Calgary City Council approves exploratory bid study for 2026 Olympics

Calgary4LIfe · 03-22-2017, 11:58 PM

I would support bringing in the Olympics for no other reason than to really be a motivator for infrastructure that we could all benefit from.

It is one thing if Calgary is going to start from scratch, but there is a lot of infrastructure already in place that could be upgraded. I am looking forward to stuff like a C-Train connection for the airport, some development in certain areas of the city, maybe even a tie-in with the west village remediation somehow.

I think we as Calgarians benefited well from the first Olympics here. I think having a second Olympics would be of some benefit too.

The one area that does concern me greatly is the cost of security. That will be a hefty price-tag. Sure, Canada is not 'at war' right now, but there is a whole lot of stuff happening and Canada is providing support, and also being a target. Lots has changed since Vancouver hosted it.

With that being said, I do think that ideally, if Calgary is going to bid on the 2026 Olympics, it would be smart to bid on the 2038 games as well (if not sooner, though you really have to hope that there are no serious bidders at the time). You touch-up the existing infrastructure, and the sum of those games would probably end up considerably in the positive. Fat chance of it happening, but that would be ideal IMO.

If the Olympics incurred a loss (which is likely) then for me, that is ok too - dependent on how big of a loss. You at least hope that the games have subsidized NEEDED infrastructure in the city, not just stuff for the games + security. That is a win in my mind.

I hope the study actually goes about this with an open mind either way, and aren't just trying to figure out a way to prove that it CAN be profitable. I will not support throwing money away, or having the above subsidy on the infrastructure fall very short. I am not just talking about getting federal dollars vs provincial dollars vs City of Calgary. I am referring to the total spent vs total earned, and having that number at least make the infrastructure a bargain, even if it doesn't quite pay the total bill. What percentage would make me happy, I don't really know, but it has to at least be a significant amount, and that infrastructure (roads, rail, facilities, etc) has to be long-lasting like most of the 1988 Olympic infrastructure turned out to be.

03-22-2017, 11:58 PM	#511
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I would support bringing in the Olympics for no other reason than to really be a motivator for infrastructure that we could all benefit from. It is one thing if Calgary is going to start from scratch, but there is a lot of infrastructure already in place that could be upgraded. I am looking forward to stuff like a C-Train connection for the airport, some development in certain areas of the city, maybe even a tie-in with the west village remediation somehow. I think we as Calgarians benefited well from the first Olympics here. I think having a second Olympics would be of some benefit too. The one area that does concern me greatly is the cost of security. That will be a hefty price-tag. Sure, Canada is not 'at war' right now, but there is a whole lot of stuff happening and Canada is providing support, and also being a target. Lots has changed since Vancouver hosted it. With that being said, I do think that ideally, if Calgary is going to bid on the 2026 Olympics, it would be smart to bid on the 2038 games as well (if not sooner, though you really have to hope that there are no serious bidders at the time). You touch-up the existing infrastructure, and the sum of those games would probably end up considerably in the positive. Fat chance of it happening, but that would be ideal IMO. If the Olympics incurred a loss (which is likely) then for me, that is ok too - dependent on how big of a loss. You at least hope that the games have subsidized NEEDED infrastructure in the city, not just stuff for the games + security. That is a win in my mind. I hope the study actually goes about this with an open mind either way, and aren't just trying to figure out a way to prove that it CAN be profitable. I will not support throwing money away, or having the above subsidy on the infrastructure fall very short. I am not just talking about getting federal dollars vs provincial dollars vs City of Calgary. I am referring to the total spent vs total earned, and having that number at least make the infrastructure a bargain, even if it doesn't quite pay the total bill. What percentage would make me happy, I don't really know, but it has to at least be a significant amount, and that infrastructure (roads, rail, facilities, etc) has to be long-lasting like most of the 1988 Olympic infrastructure turned out to be.