The leader of Calgary's committee exploring a bid for the '26 Winter Games this week said that two arenas would be required to host the event, leading Flames President Ken King to say he is encouraged it is "just another reason people will get behind" building a new venue for the NHL team, according to Rick Bell of the CALGARY SUN. King said Bid Exploration Committee Chair Rick Hanson's comment "could be considered to be a benefit to the process, but not essential." In fact, King "insists he doesn't want a new arena tied to an Olympic bid." Hanson said, "We were asked to look at what's required for Calgary to host the Olympics. To successfully bid we need two full-size arenas." Bell notes one is the Scotiabank Saddledome, while another is a "proposed arena, north of the Saddledome" in Victoria Park, the "so-called Plan B." The Dome and the proposed new arena "would be close to each other and close to the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies at Stampede Park." Hanson said a new arena "could fit in nicely" and "potentially contribute to make it more feasible for us to put in a bid and host the Olympics" (CALGARY SUN, 5/3).
KEEPING COSTS DOWN: The Bid Exploration Committee said that "'clustering' venues together could cut down on costs." In Calgary, Annalise Klingbeil noted the group is "still examining" how much a potential '26 Games "would cost and determining whether the city should bid." Hanson: "This [C$3.2B] is a benchmark we're looking at. We don't want to put a number down on the table today because we're still drilling down." Hanson "acknowledged the group is paying attention to the arena debate that was reignited at city hall last week when council voted to continue exploring an arena replacement in Victoria Park, while keeping" the Flames' C$890M CalgaryNEXT proposal "on the table." Hanson: "All we can identify is the fact we're going to need two arenas. How that plays out, we'll find out down the road like everybody else" (CALGARY HERALD, 5/2).
