Reporting from Toronto – Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim Wednesday voiced his enthusiastic support for welcoming a future Winter Olympics to his city and wants to work with government partners, including the Province of British Columbia, to do “amazing things.”
Attending the Collision Tech Conference in Toronto Wednesday, Sim told GamesBids.com “Vancouver is open for business make no mistake about it.”
The entrepreneur-turned-Mayor Sim who was elected to his first term last November added “yes, we would be very interested in attracting events like the Olympics, we hosted in 2010 – we actually hosted the most successful Winter Olympics ever to this day.”
A First Nations led bid in conjunction with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) entered discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2021 to forward a Olympic and Paralympic Games project that would leverage many of the same venues used in Vancouver and Whistler for the 2010 edition. But the campaign was cut short late last year when B.C.’s Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Lisa Beare of the New Democratic Party (NDP) denied critical funding and explained “I just think it’s the wrong time.”
The COC and First Nations leaders criticized the decision, claiming the province was unwilling to even discuss the opportunity.
The snub disappointed First Nations leaders, causing them to question British Columbia’s commitment to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation mandate.
“For our nation, this is 10 steps backwards in reconciliation,” Chief Jen Thomas of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation said at the time.
The COC remains in continuous dialogue with the IOC for future Winter Games, including for 2030, 2034 and any that follow. The IOC could name targeted candidate for 2030, or both 2030 and 2034 in October this year with a possible election July 2024. The IOC is also considering the election of permanent rotating hosts to guarantee that the Winter Games endure after climate change renders past hosts climate incapable.
If the latter plan is approved, regions not in discussions with the IOC now may get shut out of the chance to host a Winter Olympics for decades to come – or longer.
Sweden and Switzerland are in the running for the 2030 Games, and past hosts Sapporo and Salt Lake City, along with Vancouver are still in the hunt for a future edition. A sixth city, unnamed by the IOC, is reportedly in discussions as well.
In a statement to GamesBids.com the COC said “while no meeting involving the Host First Nations, government partners, the COC and the [Canadian Paralympic Committee] has occurred or been scheduled, we remain open to the opportunity for all partners to come together to talk about the vision for the Games, and the lasting impact hosting a Games could have on the Host Nations, the province and the rest of Canada.”
Sim said he understands the challenges but is willing to roll up his sleeves, explaining “when it comes to the Olympics there are other levels of government being our three host nations who are very enthusiastic about it, the Province, and we have other challenges to deal with, our federal partners and the city of Vancouver and so we would be very supportive in the true spirit of reconciliation but also promoting amazing things in Vancouver and working with our government partners to come up with a solution with our government partners to come up with a solution”
Vancouver is set to host “more than five but less than eight” matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Sim, that will be cohosted among Canada, Mexico and the United States. Toronto will stage the balance of 10 matches that have been awarded to Canada.
“We have a great track record of hosting these events and we want to encourage more of that,” Sim said.
