Details of British Columbia’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics will become clearer on Tuesday.
A joint press conference between the Canadian Olympic Committee, the four host First Nations and the cities of Vancouver and Whistler is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Whistler, where the “hosting concept” for a 2030 bid will be unveiled.
The announcement is expected to outline where the events would take place, as well as how the Indigenous-led concept would work operationally.
This comes more than four months after the four First Nations involved in the bid — Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) — announced they were working with the COC and the Canadian Paralympic Games. Feasibility study commission.
“The difference between 2010 [and 2030] it’s that we were a guest and today we are a big part of the exploratory group,” Chief Líl̓wat Dean Nelson said at the launch of the study.
While most of the facilities used for the 2010 Olympics are being considered for the 2030 bid, Vancouver’s curling facility (Hillcrest Community Centre) has since been transformed into a multi-use building. Additionally, Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine said his resort municipality has had conversations with the COC as a possible replacement for Cypress for some outdoor events.
Rumor has it that options for the Olympic Village site include Heather and Jericho lands in Vancouver, both of which are now jointly owned by three of the four First Nations involved in the 2030 bid.
What happens afterwards?
Following the unveiling of the hosting concept, each First Nation and each municipality should consult on the decision to move forward with a bid in the coming months. Provincial and federal financial support has not yet been committed.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said it would be up to council to approve a bid and a vote is scheduled for next month, although it’s unclear whether Vancouver will hold a plebiscite on the issue.
If approved, a formal bid would likely occur later this year, with a decision from the International Olympic Committee on who will host the games scheduled for 2023. Unlike the 2010 bid process, there is no final vote by IOC delegates after a costly campaign by cities campaigning for the games.
The two other cities put forward in their candidatures have also already hosted the Winter Olympics: Salt Lake City (2002) and Sapporo, Japan (1972).
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