2026 - should Calgary bid?

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by getbak

Wasn't Vancouver the first Olympics to be played on North American sized ice?

I thought Salt Lake did too, but I stand corrected.

[flamesfan1297]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

$50 billion is not the new benchmark spend - Sochi was a financial abomination (see some good links in this forum). IIRC, the current summer standard is about $12b and the winter games are about $8-10b.

As many have pointed out, Calgary could probably do it a little cheaper than most other potential locations.

I think Calgary could probably do it for under 10 billion fairly easy due to our location and existing facilities, some of which only need upgrades. But i am no expert

[flamesfan1297]

And 50 billion is due to having crazy corruption in Russia

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I thought Salt Lake did too, but I stand corrected.

I thought Salt Lake was NHL size ice as well

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by getbak

Wasn't Vancouver the first Olympics to be played on North American sized ice?

Originally Posted by flameswin

Salt Lake, no?

Originally Posted by getbak

No: http://arenaguide.iihf.com/en/news/index.php?nid=7

Based on the quotes in that story, it sounds like future games in North America can/will be played at North American dimensions.

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I thought Salt Lake did too, but I stand corrected.

I vaguely remember that the Salt Lake arenas were not as wide as the international rink. They were close but not quite the same width.

[bossy22]

I heard on the Fan that Salt Lake was was in between nhl and international ice size. I think it was 200 ft x 92 ft instead of NHL size (200 ft × 85 ft), or the international size (200 ft × 100 ft)

[Northendzone]

i would think that most facilities would need more than a little upgrade since they would be almost 40 yrs old in 2026.

also, if you are going to build the athletes village in the east village, then you are delaying the development of this area for another 12 yrs.

I have serious doubts that a winter olympics could be done for $10 billion 2026 dollars.....

[Resolute 14]

Probably not, but we are talking about $10 billion in 2014 dollars, which is not the same thing. That said, and knowing this city, we'd go over that benchmark pretty easily trying to build something great.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by Bunk

I'd say the field has been narrowed even further than by the need for two large arenas. Also, the scale now means a lot of hotel rooms and accommodation. The days of Albertville or a Lake Placid are over - you need a fairly big city near big mountains. Not too many of those places. I can see a lot more repeat cities in the future of winter games.

The entire concept of having a city create $40B (or whatever) of infrastructure for what usually amounts to a month-long one-off event is ridiculous. I can't believe that many cities in the future will want to deal with all the construction and security headaches, the olympic bid politics, the debt burdens, and the white elephants that result from the olympics.

It makes far better sense, in my view, to just have 4 or 5 cities host the games on a rotating basis. That way, there is enough time in between each city's turn that the facilities can get refreshed as needed (and getting the best bang for the the initial investment), while still allowing for a new generation of athletes and viewers to "discover" the host city.

For the winter games, I can see one city in Asia (either in Japan or South Korea), Europe (somewhere in the Alps, most likely--Scandanavia is too expensive), Canada (Calgary would make the most sense), and the US (say, Salt Lake City?) hosting. Maybe throw in someplace in New Zealand--Christchurch or Queenstown, perhaps.

For the summer games, the same general idea would work, but instead of New Zealand, I'd go with Australia, and instead of somewhere in Canada, I'd cautiously consider South Africa, Brazil, or Argentina--but even then, too many Southern Hemisphere locations could really throw off the training calendars.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i would think that most facilities would need more than a little upgrade since they would be almost 40 yrs old in 2026.

also, if you are going to build the athletes village in the east village, then you are delaying the development of this area for another 12 yrs.

I have serious doubts that a winter olympics could be done for $10 billion 2026 dollars.....

The oval has been used continually since 88, and I would suspect there has been ongoing maintenance and upgrades. It is still viewed as some of the fastest ice in the world. Same goes for the bobsled track as well. I can't fathom that bobsled/luge Canada would build that icehouse, if they didn't plan on long term usage/training at that location.

As I said earlier the ski jumping facility was below par when it was used in 88.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The oval has been used continually since 88, and I would suspect there has been ongoing maintenance and upgrades. It is still viewed as some of the fastest ice in the world. Same goes for the bobsled track as well. I can't fathom that bobsled/luge Canada would build that icehouse, if they didn't plan on long term usage/training at that location.

As I said earlier the ski jumping facility was below par when it was used in 88.

The Icehouse is great for bob/luge start training but it's not attached to the actual track.
The track itself is viewed as lower class.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by craigwd

The Icehouse is great for bob/luge start training but it's not attached to the actual track.
The track itself is viewed as lower class.

I am aware the house is not attached.

My point was that the associations must have thought the track would be used for years to come, otherwise why put the ice house there. To me it makes no sense, spending 4 weeks practicing starts in the ice house to hop on a plane to go and transfer those starts to a track. Instead, you can throw your sled on a truck and drive it up the hill and work on transferring those starts to runs.

I didn't know the bolded part, can you provide a link please?

[formulate]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

The oval has been used continually since 88, and I would suspect there has been ongoing maintenance and upgrades. It is still viewed as some of the fastest ice in the world. Same goes for the bobsled track as well. I can't fathom that bobsled/luge Canada would build that icehouse, if they didn't plan on long term usage/training at that location.

As I said earlier the ski jumping facility was below par when it was used in 88.

New roof was put on the oval building in 2011 I believe. As a U of C student I remember the construction vehicles all over the place.

EDIT: http://anysportanytime.ca/2011/08/ol...arly-finished/

It’s been necessary since day one. With the funding agreement of WinSport, the University of Calgary, and Government of Canada, we got the agreements changed and were able to take money aside to have the roof fixed. For the next 20 years, this is the Canadian home of speed skating.

Catriona Le May Doan

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I am aware the house is not attached.

My point was that the associations must have thought the track would be used for years to come, otherwise why put the ice house there. To me it makes no sense, spending 4 weeks practicing starts in the ice house to hop on a plane to go and transfer those starts to a track. Instead, you can throw your sled on a truck and drive it up the hill and work on transferring those starts to runs.

I didn't know the bolded part, can you provide a link please?

Oh I'm not saying that the track is bad and can't be used. Of course it's still used every day for racing and training. The Canadian team uses both tracks in Calgary and Whistler for training. The young pilots use the Calgary track for training all the time.

I was just making the point that it is no longer Olympic calibre and would have to be replaced if a bid was submitted. Like how the tracks in Europe are continually rebuilt and updated.

As for the bolded part, that's just from me talking with the coaching and broadcasting staff. I'll try to find evidence some time.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by formulate

Catriona Le May Doan

Such a crush, which as an side is what I would hope her legs would do to me.....

Spoiler!

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Oh I'm not saying that the track is bad and can't be used. Of course it's still used every day for racing and training. The Canadian team uses both tracks in Calgary and Whistler for training. The young pilots use the Calgary track for training all the time.

I was just making the point that it is no longer Olympic calibre and would have to be replaced if a bid was submitted. Like how the tracks in Europe are continually rebuilt and updated.

As for the bolded part, that's just from me talking with the coaching and broadcasting staff. I'll try to find evidence some time.

Bolded = cheers

Do you know if tracks can be upgraded, or do they need to be torn down and re-built?

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Bolded = cheers

Do you know if tracks can be upgraded, or do they need to be torn down and re-built?

Yep, tracks are renovated from time to time as technology improves and as sliding gets faster.

The one that comes to mind is the track at Konigssee in Germany. I think a renovation was just finished a few years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6...skeleton_track

I believe the one at Igls in Austria was adjusted a few years ago too.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Yep, tracks are renovated from time to time as technology improves and as sliding gets faster.

The one that comes to mind is the track at Konigssee in Germany. I think a renovation was just finished a few years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6...skeleton_track

I believe the one at Igls in Austria was adjusted a few years ago too.

So, tracks can be upgraded. They don't need to be completely torn down and destroyed.

I would bet it is cheaper to upgrade a track than build new.

[craigwd]

Absolutely, I agree. But in my opinion I think it would be easier and better to start from scratch in 2026 using the latest technology rather than trying to update a 40 year old decaying track.

Look at the Sanki track compared to the COP. Or even look at Whistler.
The Sanki track even has a huge training area and covered sled garage right beside the starting hut.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Absolutely, I agree. But in my opinion I think it would be easier and better to start from scratch in 2026 using the latest technology rather than trying to update a 40 year old decaying track.

Look at the Sanki track compared to the COP. Or even look at Whistler.
The Sanki track even has a huge training area and covered sled garage right beside the starting hut.

Good points.