Calgarians have voted to end the city’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Today’s comments were selected from Calgary voters reject city’s pursuit of 2026 Winter Olympics by Justin Giovannetti and James Keller.
Members of the "Yes" campaign react to the "No" result of a plebiscite on whether the city should proceed with a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Good for Calgary. Ultimately, one must ask themselves if the concept of “The Olympic Games” has outlived its relevance. In an increasingly globalized society, we stratify athletes according to nationality and gender; two things that have become increasingly nebulous in today’s world. We have folks taking enhancers that science doesn’t even know how to detect yet. And more and more we are tracking events that involve too much subjective adjudication. And although I am as avid a sports fan as anyone, does anyone even care about this stuff anymore? The one event that was mildly interesting was hockey, but with the NHL taking a pass on that, why bother? I would rather watch the Stanley Cup anyway. - Rocksteady
Common sense prevails in Calgary and saves each and every Canadian a pile of money. Thank you all. - barrister
I wonder what would happen if the citizens of the remaining two bid cities also voted "No". - RB_Toronto
There is now more empty office space in Calgary than there is total office space in Vancouver. We are faced with a looming tax hike. It is not time to max the credit card and throw a party. The 1988 Olympics were fantastic but that was then this is now. - Clagarian6
Smart move, Calgary. Hosting the Olympics has become insane due to costs. Everyone knows that this beast would not come in anywhere near on budget. It’s just not worth it and no one really cares anymore who can run 100 metres the fastest or ski down a hill the fastest. The entire notion of the Olympics needs to be drastically cut back to 1950′s levels (and costs) if it is going to survive. - ChandlerDay
I did vote yes, in the end, but only because I felt that Calgary was going to benefit from a lot of money being contributed from the federal government and IOC in some legacy structures that all Calgarians would use in the future. As for the IOC however, most Calgarians couldn't care for them in the least. It was hard to justify spending all of this money for this project when there are so many other needs in the community… I think there were a lot of strong arguments that Calgary doesn't need the Olympics, that instead, Calgary should think long-term and invest in what makes our community one of the best places in Canada to live. It isn't hosting a two week event. I am not disappointed, nor do I believe that most Calgarians are disappointed that the “No” side came out on top. It's time to move on. - luv2ski
Smart move. 1988 was a different world both for sport and economically. People are no longer willing to pay the costs for a corrupt and bloated IOC to come in and demand all kinds of concessions. And with global warming, it's becoming increasingly difficult to ensure there will even be snow. - MaryJay1
And the winner is: The Taxpayer! (Cue the national anthem) - Stephen Saines
So it seems like sanity is going to prevail. It is a huge expense for a short term attention span of the world soon to be forgotten. It is not worth the hassle, effort and cost. - elbrowser
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