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A very detailed report from the Canada West Foundation: http://cwf.ca/wp-content/uploads/201...picsReport.pdf

Executive Summary

The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are a celebration of winter sport – and winter spirit. That is part of what makes the idea of the Winter Games so exciting to Canadians. But the Games are also a major undertaking. Before a Calgary 2026 Winter Games bid goes ahead, the communities involved need to ask hard questions about whether or not a bid is worth it. The economics of the Games receive a lot of attention, and that makes sense – how governments spend money is important to us. But there is also more to the Games than just money.

The assumption underlying this report is that a fiscally responsible bid is necessary, but it is not sufficient. There also needs to be something more. The personal and community social benefits from hosting the Games and the capital investment legacy is that “something.”

This report explores the costs, risks, benefits and opportunities of a Calgary 2026 Winter Games from economic, social, cultural, environmental, political and other perspectives.


From this analysis, two key questions stood out:

Is the Calgary 2026 Games bid an economical, cost-effective and responsible approach?

Would the Games provide significant benefits for the host region?

The answer to both these questions is yes.