(ATR) A potential bid by Calgary to host the 2026 Olympics could be dead by next week.
The city administration presented a report to the Calgary city council on Monday, stating its case for an additional US$1.57 million needed to properly prepare for a possible bid under the new IOC timelines introduced in September.
The updated timeline calls for the Host City Contract to be revealed in July 2018 and the Bid Book from potential host cities to be completed by early 2019, which is about six months earlier than before.
A formal request for the money, which would be in addition to the US$940,000 still remaining from the budget of the shuttered Calgary Bid Exploration Committee (CBEC), will be made to the city council on Nov. 20.
The administration report recommends that if the council were to refuse to approve the additional funding, the effort to pursue a second Winter Games for Calgary should be ended immediately.
The CBEC concluded in July that a 2026 bid was feasible but may not be prudent, citing financial concerns.
The City Council at that point directed the city administration not to move forward until five key principles involving the costs and financing of hosting the Games were satisfied.
Should Calgary exit, it would be the second city to drop out in as many months. A bid by Innsbruck was shot down by a referendum on October 15.
Sion, Switzerland is currently the only city that has officially begun the process to host in 2026. A bid by Stockholm remains a possibility but the Swedish Olympic Committee has so far failed to convince the city’s government that it’s a good idea.
The United States Olympic Committee says it is open to the idea of hosting either in 2026 or 2030, with Reno-Tahoe, Denver and Salt Lake City all showing interest.
Sapporo, the 1972 host city, is also an option but IOC President Thomas Bach has made it clear he would like the Winter Olympics to return to a "traditional" venue in Europe or North America. With PyeongChang and Beijing hosting the next two Winter Games, the odds of a third straight Asian host seem remote at this stage.
Written by Gerard Farek
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