The city of Orlando has been "contacted about being part of the joint bid" for the U.S., Canada and Mexico to host the '26 FIFA World Cup, according to Alicia DelGallo of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati sent a letter to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer on July 10. Dyer’s response stated the city is "eager to work with the bid committee and agrees it would be a strong candidate." Orlando Venues Exec Dir Allen Johnson and Central Florida Sports Commission interim President & CEO Jason Siegel will "take the lead working with the bid committee." Orlando’s role as host for the '94 World Cup and Copa América Centenario matches last summer, along with the emergence of Orlando City SC, has "helped grow a large fan base for the sport over the last seven years" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/25).
ZERO-SUM GAMES: The GLOBE & MAIL's Carrie Tait reports Calgary "may not be able to secure" the C$1.2B from the federal government it would need to host the '26 Winter Games if Canada is co-host of the '26 World Cup. Calgary’s Olympic bid exploration committee said that other sources of revenue in its budget "could thin should the World Cup come to Canada." The committee predicts it will cost C$4.6B to "host the Olympics" and require C$2.4B in taxpayer money. The study group’s budget expects half of the C$2.4B to "come from Ottawa and the rest from other levels of government." The financial forecast "shows the Games would run a deficit" of about C$425M. City of Calgary CFO Eric Sawyer yesterday told councillors that "hosting the Olympics could push the city close to -- and potentially beyond -- its legislated debt ceiling." Sawyer said that bureaucrats "calculated a number of different scenarios" but "did not pinpoint which Olympic funding scenario substantially threatened the city’s balance sheet." The Canadian federal government "has not yet committed any money to an Olympic bid" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/25).
