Would B.C.’s premier choose 2026 World Cup or 2030 Olympics?
Posted February 11, 2022 2:50 pm.
If B.C.’s premier was given a choice on whether Vancouver hosted World Cup soccer games in 2026 or the 2030 Winter Olympics, he’d go for the beautiful game.
“If we can have a marquee event as part of a North American World Cup, with the Canadian team doing so well right now and people’s attention heightened on that, I would prefer to do that,” John Horgan told Drex on JACK FM Friday.
He says he has nothing against the idea of an Olympic bid too, but there’s a lot more work that needs to happen before it can be a reality.
“There’s already been a lot of work done on the FIFA file, back in 2018 and since then, so I think that’s more likely than the Olympics at this point.”
Related: Could Vancouver host 2026 World Cup? B.C. in ‘active discussions’ with FIFA
Another big reason for his choice, he says, is the World Cup would happen earlier than the Olympics.
“We need to kickstart our tourism economy,” Horgan said.
“We have the lowest unemployment in the country, but still … if we can invite the world to Vancouver in 2026, that’s a big boon for the hospitality sector — hotels, restaurants, tourism.”
The province says it is in “active discussions” to put B.C. and Vancouver into consideration for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“[It is] a once-in-a-generation opportunity that soccer fans from coast to coast and around the globe look forward to watching every four years,” Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Minister Melanie Mark told CityNews in a written statement this week.
“Vancouver is a world-class city with one of the top stadiums in North America.”
Montreal has withdrawn its bid, leaving just Edmonton and Toronto as candidates in Canada.
Related: Indigenous-led bid to bring 2030 Games to Vancouver and Whistler takes next step
Meanwhile, an agreement was recently announced between four First Nations, the City of Vancouver, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Canadian Paralympic Committee to explore a potential bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
The agreement will include a feasibility assessment and initial concept development to bring the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to the Vancouver area 20 years after it first hosted the Games.
With files from JACK FM
