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

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

BC Place is worth more than $1 billion? CenturyLink in Seattle cost around $600 million and is obviously much better. I really doubt BC Place can be valued any more than $500 million.

What? Why is it "obviously much better". Have you been to CenturyLink? or BC Place?

Century link doesn't have a retractable roof and is basically a virtually "open air" even on the concourse.

Look at any retractable roof stadium in north america that was built recently (you can't look at just inflation because construction costs are not inline with the rest), BC place is a top notch facility.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

What? Why is it "obviously much better". Have you been to CenturyLink? or BC Place?

Century link doesn't have a retractable roof and is basically a virtually "open air" even on the concourse.
Look at any retractable roof stadium in north america that was built recently (you can't look at just inflation because construction costs are not inline with the rest), BC place is a top notch facility.

I have been to both. CenturyLink has better amenities and a much better atmosphere, though BC Place is a much better location (downtown by the water versus an off downtown rail yard.) The retractable roof is a nice feature, but I'm not sure BC Place as a whole can be called a $1 billion stadium. And if it is they didn't get great value relative to other stadiums.

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Interesting, I guess I look at it the other way. At the WC the margin of error is smaller. Take track, in a race with a diluted field (Olympics) you can afford to have a miss-step. At the WC the field is tighter and therefore the repercussions of a miss-step can be greater. In short at the WC you need to be “on” for every race, at the Olympics you can take an early race “off” or “easy”. Also, in my mind, back to back or three time WC Gold is more impressive than an Olympic gold. The ability to reach and maintain a level of completion across multi years in amazing. At the Olympics you can get someone that peaks at that time, but can’t maintain that level.

I think you may be mistaking World Cup fields with World Championships.

The so called "lessor" countries also participate in most World Championships. I'm thinking athletics, bobsleigh/skeleton, figure skating, alpine and nordic skiing, and swimming as examples.

For each sport there is a certain qualifying line that an athlete has to make to participate.
And likewise, be it an Olympic year or a non-Olympic year, the nations are given spots based on finishes in the previous major event.

As for extra rounds, these also occur at Worlds.

But lets take the 100m event in athletics, or the old preliminary rounds in Figure skating for example. The first round of competition is kind of a play in round - those athletes that have accumulated a certain level of points or achieved a standard don't even take part in them. So there isn't a case of being knocked out early or having to take it easy.

As for which is prized more, let's look at Martins Dukurs - the world's best skeleton racer, 3 time world champion, but keeps getting burned at the Olympics with 2 close silvers and mentions how frustrated his is about that.

For Canadians, take Kurt Browning and Patrick Chan: 4 time and 3 time world champion. Browning infamously had some struggles during the Olympics (injury and errors) and Chan lost his best chance at gold in Sochi. Both are obviously very happy to be world champions but extremely disappointed in not being able to up their game for the Olympics.

[getbak]

One thing that makes an Olympic medal harder to win is that you only get a chance to do it every four years. Depending on the sport and the athlete, that may only be a once in a lifetime shot.


Look at Phaneuf...Canada decided to go with a veteran-heavy team in 2006, so Phaneuf and Crosby didn't make the team even though they arguably could have. Then, by 2010, his game had dropped off enough that he didn't make the team; and in 2014, he wasn't even in the discussion. If he was two years older, or two years younger, so that his 2008 season was an Olympic year, he would have easily made the team.

[sleepingmoose]

Originally Posted by Table 5

In my dream costs-be-damned scenario, Macleod Trail in front of city hall is dropped below grade, and we connect Olympic Plaza/Stephen Ave with the city hall plaza to create one big gathering space.

There is actually already talk of tunnelling through City hall to East Village and upgrading McLeod Trail to more of a scenic boulevard. Upgrading Olympic Plaza as well makes sense.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...tegy-1.3220225

I don't think you can drop Macleod Trail below grade at City Hall - there's already a partially built LRT tunnel there.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by craigwd

As for which is prized more, let's look at Martins Dukurs - the world's best skeleton racer, 3 time world champion, but keeps getting burned at the Olympics with 2 close silvers and mentions how frustrated his is about that.

For Canadians, take Kurt Browning and Patrick Chan: 4 time and 3 time world champion. Browning infamously had some struggles during the Olympics (injury and errors) and Chan lost his best chance at gold in Sochi. Both are obviously very happy to be world champions but extremely disappointed in not being able to up their game for the Olympics.

For a Canadian example look no further than the greatest speed skater in history. It isn't Doan, Klassen, or Boucher. But all Jeremy Wotherspoon is known as in these borders is a guy who could never live up to the hype at the Olympics, winning only a silver. A World Champion 8 times, still the 500m record holder, more 'tour' victories than anybody else, but you just know not having that Olympic gold just eats away at him. How could it not?

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

What? Why is it "obviously much better". Have you been to CenturyLink? or BC Place?

Century link doesn't have a retractable roof and is basically a virtually "open air" even on the concourse.

Look at any retractable roof stadium in north america that was built recently (you can't look at just inflation because construction costs are not inline with the rest), BC place is a top notch facility.

Yikes man. BC Place isn't even in the same conversation as the University of Phoenix stadium.

I say BC Place is "adequate" but a looooong ways off from being top notch in any sense. It's got a top notch video board I guess.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Sure, except BC Place now has a world class $1billion+ stadium for the cool price of $500 million.

How does this in any way address cost overruns 5x that of the initially stated budget?

Does Calgary need a Billion Dollar Olympic Oval?

[CroFlames]

Just saw this pop up on the CBC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-bid-1.3230012

Canada perhaps looking for a WC bid in 2026.

You can't exactly host a WC match in an amateur fieldhouse.

[polak]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Just saw this pop up on the CBC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-bid-1.3230012

Canada perhaps looking for a WC bid in 2026.

You can't exactly host a WC match in an amateur fieldhouse.

Pretty sure they announced they will be bidding last year?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Just saw this pop up on the CBC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-bid-1.3230012

Canada perhaps looking for a WC bid in 2026.

You can't exactly host a WC match in an amateur fieldhouse.

Well I cant see us having the Olympics and the World Cup, thats just greedy.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Locke

Well I cant see us having the Olympics and the World Cup, thats just greedy.

Russia is getting them in pretty close proximity. 2014 Olympics, 2018 World Cup.

[calf]

Originally Posted by Locke

Well I cant see us having the Olympics and the World Cup, thats just greedy.

Brazil says hi.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I wouldn't be citing Brazil or Russia as examples of getting the Olympics and WC in close proximity. They did get them close together, but they also blew more than $100 billion combined to get them.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Just saw this pop up on the CBC.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...-bid-1.3230012

Canada perhaps looking for a WC bid in 2026.

You can't exactly host a WC match in an amateur fieldhouse.

You can't host it in any football stadium in Canada. The WC requires real grass (for men anyway).

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

For a Canadian example look no further than the greatest speed skater in history. It isn't Doan, Klassen, or Boucher. But all Jeremy Wotherspoon is known as in these borders is a guy who could never live up to the hype at the Olympics, winning only a silver. A World Champion 8 times, still the 500m record holder, more 'tour' victories than anybody else, but you just know not having that Olympic gold just eats away at him. How could it not?

Oh, excellent example!
I don't think 34.03s will be broken for a long time. It's already been something like 7 years.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

You can't host it in any football stadium in Canada. The WC requires real grass (for men anyway).

Just throw in $500 million to put temporary grass into the 8 host stadiums for the WC.

What's $500 million among friends right?

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

How does this in any way address cost overruns 5x that of the initially stated budget?

Does Calgary need a Billion Dollar Olympic Oval?

How does BC Place renovation provide any insight on what would be required to renovate a speed skating oval and what those costs might be?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Barnes

How does BC Place renovation provide any insight on what would be required to renovate a speed skating oval and what those cost might be?

I suspect the Oval's ice doesn't need much reno work - I think it's been upgraded several times. The fan seating etc. would. You're right, apples and oranges.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Just throw in $500 million to put temporary grass into the 8 host stadiums for the WC.

What's $500 million among friends right?

Yeah that'll never even be close to good enough. America has 30+ ready made, much better facilities than Canada. Expecting to throw grass on McMahon, Commonwealth, SkyDome, BC Place, Olympic Stadium, Winnipeg (and even then, that's really weak as most hosts have 10-12 venues) and it being good enough is very hopeful, and highly unlikely. Probably looking at 4-6 brand new venues from scratch.

I'd think $3 billion is the very, very low end of cost to host a WC, security costs excluded. Joint bid with the US still makes the most sense for a cost control perspective...but the US can host it solo, so they don't need us.