Calgary is among three bidders remaining for the 2026 Winter Olympics.GETTY IMAGES
Calgary 2026 Winter Olympics Bid CEO Mary Moran said that the plebiscite on the "troubled" bid on Tuesday would be a "tight race," but if the Canadian city survives the vote it "could go on to land the Games," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. The citizens of Calgary were scheduled to vote on whether the bid to host the Games should go ahead, "as concerns over cost and size of the event have scared off other cities." Stockholm and an Italian candidacy involving Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo are the "only other two bidders left in the race." Moran: "I am not great at predicting polls. It will be very tight and we are hoping for a strong turnout. I think what we have seen over the last few days is that there has been this massive momentum. It really depends if that momentum continues." The bid had "appeared dead" late last month after Calgary's Olympic assessment committee recommended the city "scrap plans over a funding row with the Canadian federal government." It was "brought back to life" when the 15-member council allowed the bid to go forward by one vote, but anything below 50% in the non-binding plebiscite would "essentially mean the end of the candidacy" (REUTERS, 11/12).
