In another massive blow to the International Olympic Committee the residents of Calgary, Canada have voted not to host the 2026 Olympic Games.
The question on the ballot paper was a simple one:
“Are you for or are you against Calgary hosting the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games?”
Of the 304,774 ballots cast, 171,750 or 56.4 per cent were against Calgary hosting the 2026 Olympics, with 132,832 in favor.
The Canadian Olympic Committee said it was “disappointed”.
The result is non-binding but the city’s Mayor had said publicly that a defeat would mark the end of the candidacy.
Stockholm, Sweden and a joint Italian bid from Milan and Cortina are now the only two cities left in the bidding process, but both are far from gaining Government support.
There is a real possibility that neither of the two remaining bids will gain government support in which case the IOC, for the first time ever, will not have a single nation bidding to host an Olympic Games.
IF this ends up being the case it is speculated that the IOC would approach what it considered to be suitable venues and cities. They might also ask cities they know are considering a bid for 2030 to bring their plans forward for the 2026 games.
One city that has been much talked about is Salt Lake City, UT. The city still has much of the infrastructure from hosting the 2002 Games and had considered bring forward bids for the 2022 and then 2026 before deciding to go for a 2030 bid.
