Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden wasn鈥檛 supportive of her hometown playing host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the reasons I didn鈥檛 sit on municipal council during that period,鈥� the outgoing mayor explained.
Wilhelm-Morden and her family decided to stay in town for the Games and participate in the festivities anyways, 鈥渁nd absolutely loved the experience.鈥�
Now, Whistler may be gearing up to host Olympic events once again.
As Calgary continues to explore a potential bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Calgary 2026 Bid Corporation鈥檚 (BidCo.) Draft Hosting Plan Concept has tapped Whistler Olympic Park (WOP), managed by Whistler Sports Legacies (WSL), to host two events: ski jumping and Nordic combined, a combination of ski jumping and cross-country skiing.
Calgary is one of three potential cities in the running to host the Games. On Thursday, Oct. 4, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted its approval to Calgary, as well as Stockholm and an Italian bid involving Cortina d鈥橝mpezzo and Milan, to proceed to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
So what does Wilhelm-Morden think now? 鈥淚f this can be done in a cost-effective manner, I say yes, let鈥檚 do it.鈥�
Cost-effectiveness was the catalyst for the idea of incorporating Whistler in the first place. Calgary鈥檚 Winsport Olympic Park already features ski jumps built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, but refurbishing them to current international standards would cost millions.
鈥淭he BidCo. has done three different assessments of the jumps in Calgary. Those prices have come down, but in comparison to (using the 2010 Olympic venue in) Whistler, it is still extremely high, about four to five times the cost,鈥� explained Ski Jumping Canada chair Todd Stretch.
According to the Draft Hosting Plan Concept, holding the ski jumping and Nordic combined events in Whistler would translate to roughly $50 million in savings.
The savings also make a potential Calgary bid more appealing to the IOC. In an attempt to make future Games less costly and more sustainable, the IOC now recommends using already-existing structures.
WOP鈥檚 ski jumps are, 鈥渞eady to go today,鈥� explained Roger Soane, president and CEO of WSL. However, he cautions that it may not be the case eight years down the road.
While it would be decidedly less costly than renovating or building new jumps in Calgary, there would need to be trail work to reconfigure start and finish lines; temporary seating for spectators needs to be built; and potential upgrades to WOP鈥檚 refrigeration system and a chairlift installed ahead of any Olympic events, Soane added. 鈥淲e鈥檝e said, 鈥榖udget for the worst,鈥� and then if that鈥檚 not the case then it will be a bonus that (those upgrades) won鈥檛 need to be done.鈥�
It remains to be seen whether reusing WOP鈥檚 structures would come at any cost to the municipality (though the Callaghan Valley technically falls under the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District鈥檚 jurisdiction).
鈥淐ertainly that will be a question that we will want an answer to in pretty short order,鈥� explained Wilhelm-Morden, adding that, 鈥淭he only apparent drawback (to hosting those events) would be cost, and we just don鈥檛 know the answer to that yet.鈥�
Based on the conversations he鈥檚 had with officials to date, Soane said, 鈥淭here is no cost anticipated for Whistler Sports Legacies or the (Resort) Municipality of Whistler, as far as I know. I know there isn鈥檛 for Whistler Sports Legacies, and I would imagine the conversations they鈥檇 have with the RMOW is that the Calgary bid will absorbing all the costs.鈥�
Because hosting duties would be relegated to only two events, the inconveniences to would be limited, Soane added.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not the most popular events, so they鈥檙e not expecting lots of crowds-they鈥檙e expecting, I think, 5,000 people. We can handle that at the park,鈥� he said.
鈥淎s far as the Village is concerned, I think it will be up to the community and the RMOW to decide how involved they want to be-whether they want to re-use the medal plaza, or they want to stream anything live,鈥� Soane continued. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be the major disruption that we saw in 2010.鈥�
The draft plan estimates that 259 athletes and team officials would be based in Whistler for the events, all of whom, Soane said, could be housed at in Cheakamus. In addition to the 160 beds available at the Whistler Athletes鈥� Centre lodge, WSL owns 20 townhomes that could be used throughout the Olympics. The hostel in Cheakamus could also provide accommodation, Soane added, while a new WSL apartment building currently pending approval could fill any gaps.
鈥淲e were going to build that anyways so it鈥檚 not going to be a legacy of the Calgary Games, but they certainly could help fund that with some capital,鈥� Soane explained.
When it comes down to it, hosting high-level international events 鈥渋s what we were built for,鈥� Soane said.
鈥淭his is why the legacies were left, this is why the funding is in place to keep the legacies alive, and what better way to do that than hosting one of the biggest sporting events in the world? 鈥� I can think of it only in a positive light. It鈥檚 another opportunity for Whistler to do what we do best.鈥�
The public engagement process in Calgary has already began as the city works towards submitting a bid, with Calgarians set to head to the polls on Nov. 13 for a non-binding plebiscite.
An Olympic bid submission must be handed in by Jan. 11. The 2026 vote is scheduled to take place at an IOC meeting next September.
鈥淚鈥檓 distinctly aware of the clock ticking,鈥� said Wilhelm-Morden. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of time for Calgary to put this bid together, so we need to get more information and do some community consultation in fairly short order.鈥�
