D-Day for Calgary 2026 Olympic bid as referendum looms

MONTREAL: Calgary’s bid to stage the 2026 Winter Olympics faces a make-or-break referendum on Tuesday, with a sceptical public heads to the polls for a vote likely to determine if the bid can proceed any further.

Thirty years after hosting the 1988 winter sports spectacular, when the likes of British ski-jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards and Jamaica’s bobsled team entered Olympic lore, Calgary is hoping to stage the event once more.

But bid officials are facing an uphill battle attempting to convince Calgary’s 1.24 million residents that the city should foot a Can$390 million (US$295 million) chunk of the bill for hosting the event.

A survey of 243 people conducted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between October 24 and November 3 found 55% percent against with only 35% in favour. Ten percent were undecided.

“I am not fan of hosting the Olympics for the simple reason that it’s a risky investment,” said Jeanne Milne, of the “No Calgary Olympics” group campaigning against the game. “We are on the hook for any cost overrun. There are all these claims about all the economic outlooks, but they never really come through. After the Olympics you don’t see a bump in reputation, a bump in economics.”