Canadians split on hosting another Olympic Games
Posted Aug 19, 2016 11:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Eighteen per cent of Canadians are actively watching the 2016 Summer Olympics, and another four in ten say they’re keeping up-to-date, but with closing ceremonies set for Sunday, the international sports stage will quickly shift to the next tournament.
Pyeongchang, South Korea will host the 2018 Winter Olympiad.
Former President of the Vancouver Organizing Committee John Furlong says Calgary is a big topic of conversation in Brazil as Mayor Naheed Nenshi contemplates a 2026 Winter Olympic bid, but Canadians may not be on the same podium.
“Canadians actually find themselves on two teams,” Shachi Kurl with Angus Reid confirmed about half of the country believes another Canadian Olympics would be worthwhile, slightly more (52 per cent) specifically for a winter tournament.
Calgary, however, stands a little more alone. “This seems to be the one place, and Alberta, more broadly, seems to be the one place where the golden glow, or the haze, of a successful games has actually not worn off,” Kurl said.
Sixty-seven per cent of Albertans think hosting another Olympiad would be worth it.
Low crude, few jobs and economic frustrations may also be a helpful push.
“The argument that the game could actually bring an economic boost to the city is probably resonating more than it has anywhere else across the country,” Kurl added.
Canada has three Olympic Games its history: Vancouver in 2010, the 1988 Calgary event, and Montreal’s Summer Games in 1976.
