Article content continued

“Will there need to be some adjustments or some improvements? Sure,” Hanson said of Calgary’s legacy facilities. “But it’s not going to be anywhere near $1.5 billion.”

Photo by Jonathan Utz / AFP / Getty Images

The Nakiska Ski Resort in nearby Kananaskis Country hosted the alpine events in 1988. That venue is under consideration for 2026, along with the world-class Lake Louise Ski Resort, which is sure to create controversy given the potential environmental impact of hosting Olympic races in a national park.

Should the federal government grant permission for the invasion of the five-ring circus, watch for the traditional alpine events to take place at Lake Louise with skicross, snowboardcross and snowboard parallel giant slalom going to Nakiska.

The Canmore Nordic Centre, a gem left over from ’88, is the obvious host for cross-country skiing and biathlon.

The two big-ticket facilities missing from the Calgary area are an Olympic-regulation ski jump — the main tower at Canada Olympic Park is decommissioned and the wrong size — and a new arena (already under city council consideration is construction of a new home for the Calgary Flames north of the Saddledome).

“You do require two full-sized arenas to host the Games,” Hanson said. “So that’s just a fact.”

The ski jump is likely destined for another location away from WinSport, given the new size requirement of 120 metres would force competitors to land on the Trans-Canada Highway. Given the lack of Canadian success and participation in the sport, spending millions of dollars on a new facility will no doubt be contentious should Calgary proceed with a bid.

All along, Hanson has repeatedly emphasized the bid exploration committee has made no decisions on whether it makes sense for Calgary to proceed. It’s called an exploration committee for a reason. But the time for researching and dissecting the possibility is drawing to a close, with a final report due in July.