Cultural diversity, eh? If Canada and the U.S. have their way, the 2026 bid for the Winter Olympics might feature cross-border cooperation.
Québec City could become the latest to join forces with Lake Placid’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games after Mayor Régis Labeaume revealed they had taken part in discussions with Calgary, Vancouver and the American village about staging the event.
A plan was officially launched to bring the Winter Olympics back to Lake Placid for the first time since 1980 in October of last year, according to an article in Inside The Games.
The discussions between the two countries comes in the wake of the International Olympic Committee’s comprehensive Agenda 2020 reform package, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, which opened up the possibilities of the event being held across several regions rather than being limited to one place.
If one of the concerns of host cities is the cost of the Olympics, a hosting partnership can be the answer. Labeaume noted, in fact, that such an arrangement would "dramatically diminish the total costs of infrastructure investments, which would make the Games more affordable.” He added, “Three cities that have infrastructure that Quebec doesn't, such as bobsled tracks and springboards for ski jumping, could eventually be associated with Quebec's bid."
Vancouver was the last Canadian host of the Winter Olympics in 2010, while Toronto was considering a bid for the 2024 Summer Games but eventually decided not to enter the race.
The names of a number of potential host cities have been bandied about for the 2026 Games, including Trento in Italy, Dresden in Germany, 2022 race runner-up Almaty in Kazakhstan, Sweden's capital Stockholm and Sapporo in Japan. The Swiss Olympic Association confirmed they intend to pursue a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games as well.
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