Should Calgary Bid on the 2026 Olympics

[OMG!WTF!]

I think tourism depends on what the host country does with the opportunity. New infrastructure, new attractions, and new facilities would increase tourism. We're not really getting that except for the new curling arena.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

I think tourism depends on what the host country does with the opportunity. New infrastructure, new attractions, and new facilities would increase tourism. We're not really getting that except for the new curling arena.

Are we even getting that? I thought there was talk of hosting the curling in Edmonton yesterday?

[OMG!WTF!]

Oh yeah. I thought curling would be in the new 6000 seat arena. So I guess we have to hope people will be coming to see our new skating rink. Woohoo.

[Lanny_McDonald]

If the games are not entirely in and around Calgary, then why the hell should anyone support this hot mess of an idea. This proposal is turning into a tire fire. No wonder they are mentioning Edmonton in the mix for events, because like Edmonton, this proposal is NO GOOD!

[getbak]

Edmonton isn't in the mix for events.

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by getbak

Edmonton isn't in the mix for events.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4442545/2...curling-venue/

We’ve had preliminary conversations with Edmonton. It will be a consideration for sure for curling,

[afc wimbledon]

The Olympics don't increase tourism, they just change when people go, what Vancouver found was people that were coming anyway made a point to come for the games but then you lost visits for couple of years afterward.

[stampsx2]

Of course Calgary is trying to use existing and upgraded facilities and maybe have a couple events in Edmonton. The biggest complaint about the Olympics is the cost. The IOC has said they’re fine with using what’s already there.

[Mr.Coffee]

This is already a boondoggle / disaster and it hasn’t even really started.

[powderjunkie]

Talk of Curling in Edmonton is just posturing. It was also clear in the article that Red Deer or elsewhere in AB would be possible. Same as talk of building 5k seat arena. Although an arena of that size wouldfill a gap for mid-size concerts, the more prudent option would be to just hang on to the Corral. It's way more of a lipstick on a pig situation than even McMahon, but I wish Stampede would leave Corral as is and build a stadium/events centre instead of their proposal.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

This is already a boondoggle / disaster and it hasn’t even really started.

Could you elaborate?

[GGG]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

https://globalnews.ca/news/4442545/2...curling-venue/

It’s posturing for the arena.

The fieldhouse is for curling, the saddledome is for figureskating and the new arena for hockey.

They need to act like this until the flames sign on officially.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Could you elaborate?

$35m on a bid we're not really set on. That's a decent chunk of the cash to just spend on council's hunch.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Absolutely. This is what I’m trying to say. We won’t be saving any money by not having an Olympics. We’ll be funding neccessary and approved infrastructure 100% by calgarians.

My life was positively impacted by the '88 Olympics despite being too young to go. The legacy infrastructure have made me the person I am today. As a kid I spent countless days at COP. As an adult I still get a Winsport pass every year. Calgary hits above its weight class when it comes to athlete development as a result of the '88 Olympics legacy.

Getting new or additional infrastructure, paid in part by others, is a no brainer. It's like RRSP matching at work, sure you can often get a better return on your investment elsewhere but you'd be silly to leave the matched contributions behind.

This might sound selfish, and I don't care, but I'll happily support infrastructure that will benefit me moving forward. Others do it all the time. For the same cost of the cities contribution we got an airport tunnel and a few interchanges. For the same cost of the entire games we got a SW ring road. Given the choice I know where I'd spend my money. However, I also know that society is give and take. So after I pay my share to ensure your commute is shorter, I'll happily take your share to put in facilities that will help develop future amateur athletes.

[Ozy_Flame]

We are essentially leaving free money on the table to upgrade a whole portfolio of facilities, including getting new ones if we abandon this bid. No guarantee the feds and province would just fund these things beyond an Olympic Games.

These facilities will help me personally and my long-term benefit far more than another extreme-end suburban interchange. Spending Federal/Provincial/City monies on these is a no-brainer IMO. I want Calgary to be a world-class city with a good legacy and long-term investment for its citizens, and having another successful Olympics with an IOC that is willing to play ball on re-using existing infrastructure is a great opportunity. Calgary has one of the best Olympic legacies in the world and is also a go-to for amateur and professional sports training. Let's incubate that and grow it.

I would be happy for the Committee to work with Edmonton though, if it means we have to find more savings. As much as we hate Edmonton, they have incredibly nice facilities that could be of use (Rogers Place, U of A, etc.)

[Flamenspiel]

I agree with Ozy_Flame, to add fuel to the fire its apparent that the "no" side campaign is already using a very disingenuous campaign rooted in a "what would you rather spend this money on" angle. This is a variation of the "bread not circuses" special interest group that was prominent in Toronto bid for 1996. They are still waiting for that federal money that they thought was going to build affordable housing in lieu of the Olympics.

The fact is that there will be no money spent on Calgary without the Olympics coming to town. In the meantime I could not help noticing that Edmonton got another new museum thats opening next month:

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/pol...-days-of-entry

[GGG]

Originally Posted by kevman

My life was positively impacted by the '88 Olympics despite being too young to go. The legacy infrastructure have made me the person I am today. As a kid I spent countless days at COP. As an adult I still get a Winsport pass every year. Calgary hits above its weight class when it comes to athlete development as a result of the '88 Olympics legacy.

Getting new or additional infrastructure, paid in part by others, is a no brainer. It's like RRSP matching at work, sure you can often get a better return on your investment elsewhere but you'd be silly to leave the matched contributions behind.

This might sound selfish, and I don't care, but I'll happily support infrastructure that will benefit me moving forward. Others do it all the time. For the same cost of the cities contribution we got an airport tunnel and a few interchanges. For the same cost of the entire games we got a SW ring road. Given the choice I know where I'd spend my money. However, I also know that society is give and take. So after I pay my share to ensure your commute is shorter, I'll happily take your share to put in facilities that will help develop future amateur athletes.

But we don’t get new facilities to develop amateur atheletes. Things like the sliding Center and Windsport have proven they are able to find funding to maintain and upgrade their facilities. The oval and Canmore Nordic Center are no different.

So what do we get for facilities to help develop amateur atheletes for our .5 to 1.5 billion dollars? We get a fieldhouse. That’s it. Everything else has proven itself capable of being funded and maintained. So if it’s amateur athletes you want to support let’s spend 200 million of a field house and 100 million on a legacy fund and call it a day.

The Olympics are a bad value based on what we get for infrastructure even if the federal funding comes from the money fairy. Let’s skip the Olympics and build the infrastructure we need.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Ducay

$35m on a bid we're not really set on. That's a decent chunk of the cash to just spend on council's hunch.

$35 million however Calgary I would say is the strongest contender.

Italy and Japan just hosted the olympics in 2006 and 2020 so are unlikely to get a repeat so early.

That leaves Turkey. Not sure about the political stability in Turkey right now. North American revenues streams are appealing to the IOC.

[stampsx2]

Dp

[browna]

I’m generally for this bid, but no new arena as part of this, along its some of the other short cuts planned, and I’d be out. The city needs to see some tangible benefits in long term improved, and new, infrastructure and facilities like 1988 brought, if significant tax player dollars are going to be spent. That includes a field house, arena, and probably a few other civic facilities, as well as road improvements etc.

Ski jump in Whistler would actually be fine with given the very specific use case, and that these isn’t a suitable place in Calgary (Nordic combined event may be an issue) but everything else has to be here.

I realize that some of the proposal is still not finalized before the plebiscite and subject to some late changes, of which can swing opinions both ways.

And, I still think the IOC should consider having a host city host two games in a row, getting double the mileage (more, when you consider athletes would have Calgary and the facilities as a training ground for 6 years over two winter games) out of venues. Never mind efficiencies for the host city in logistics such as security, no hasssle and expense for bid processes, etc.