Calgary could host 'terrific Games' in 2026, says Canadian Olympic Committee boss

The president of the Canadian Olympic Committeesays she thinks Calgary would do a terrific job of hosting another Olympic Games.

The city is examining whether it should launch a bid to hostthe Winter Games in 2026.

Calgary Bid Exploration Committee submitted its report to city council on Monday, saying Calgary, which hosted the 1988 Olympics, could feasibly do it again.

However, the bid exploration group said key information is still needed from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order for Calgary to make an informed decision about making a bid.

That new information is largely related to the IOC's recent decision to push back deadlines and change its candidature requirements for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Canadian Olympic Committee head Tricia Smith says she thinks the IOC would be happy to have a bid from Canada and especially from Calgary.

"We come here a lot in sport, in our world cups, world championships, and we see the job that Calgary does," said Smith, who also sits on the IOC.

"We see the pride that Calgary has, the pride that the Albertans have, as Canadians as well. I think that would all pull together to have, to make a terrific games."

The Canadian Olympic Committee is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee.

City council will discuss next week what the next step should be on a potential bid.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has previously said he doubts Calgary will make a final decision until after the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February.

Last month, thebid explorationcommittee released a report estimating it would require $2.4 billion in public funding to cover the shortfall between revenue and costs if Calgary were to host theOlympics in 2026.

That doesn't include the cost of building a new, NHL-calibre arenasomething the city is in theprocess of negotiating with the group that owns the Calgary Flames.

The bid explorationcommittee has said two "full-sized arenas" wouldbe necessary to host the games.

But committee chair Rick Hanson said Monday the cost estimates could change substantively, depending on what the IOC does in the coming months.

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