IOC President Thomas Bach said that Calgary’s potential bid for the '26 Winter Games is "one of only three still standing as an official candidate for approval, following the ouster" of Turkish entry Erzurum, according to Zach Laing of the CALGARY HERALD. The Swedish bid of Stockholm and the combined Italian bid of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will "also be proposed for approval by the IOC’s full membership next week." Calgary council member Evan Woolley said, "It’s a shrinking field, which says a lot to how much work we have undertaken to do all of our due diligence in this bid. I’m really happy to hear this." Woolley added that Calgary 2026 has "submitted a draft host plan and is hopeful that being shortlisted 'strengthens our negotiating power.'" The city has an "upcoming Nov. 13 plebiscite vote" regarding the bid (CALGARY HERALD, 10/5). REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann noted IOC VP Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. "praised the three cities that made it to the next phase." He said that they "had what it took to host 'a wonderful' event." Samaranch said that Calgary's bid was strong because more than 80% of the venues are "already in place." The IOC will "elect the winning bid" in September next year, but Thursday’s decision "means that session, which was to be held in Milan, will move to Lausanne, Switzerland to avoid a conflict of interest as the Italian city is now officially a candidate" (REUTERS, 10/4).
RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS? CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin notes when the Olympics in the recent past have gone to a city, the cities "overpay or there’s anxiety they’re overpaying, and the price goes up and up and up." That has led to cities not wanting to bid on the Games. Sorkin: "They have to figure out a way to make this a more sustainable situation, because they’re actually going to run out of cities who are willing to do it. It used to be developed countries did it, then emerging countries wanted to do it to prove their mettle but realized it cost too much money. It’s a problem” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 10/5).
