B.C. won’t support Vancouver 2030 Olympic bid: province

In what could be a major blow to local First Nations and the B.C. tourism sector, the province has announced it will not support a bid to host the 2030 Olympics and Paralympics.

In a statement, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport Lisa Beare says the government “has the responsibility to weigh the benefits with the costs and possible risks of the project.”

Citing those direct costs and potential risks associated with the project, Beare says any issues could “jeopardize the government’s ability to address pressures facing British Columbians right now.”

“Based on careful consideration, the Province is declining to support a bid,” Beare’s statement Thursday reads, in part.

“Planning and hosting an event of this magnitude requires significant attention and resources. We have existing commitments to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2025 Invictus Games. These world-class events will bring the international spotlight to British Columbia, as well as economic benefits to support the province’s tourism-sector recovery for the next decade and beyond.,” she added.

The 2030 Olympics would have been the first Indigenous-led Games.

In July, the City of Vancouver voted to move ahead and continue to support four local First Nations with their bid to host the Winter Games. The vote passed despite some concerns from staff about finances and the apparent tight timeline to submit a bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by next February.

Number 91 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action says, “We call upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth games to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events.”

Beare says the province is still committed to putting reconciliation efforts into action, as well as “continuing to build strong relationships with Indigenous partners.”

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Related articles: 

• Vancouver votes to move ahead with Indigenous-led Olympic bid

• Canadian Olympic Committee sees ‘ample time’ for 2030 bid as BC cities discuss doubts

• Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle to host 2026 World Cup games

• Disrespected’: Squamish Nation says B.C. rejected Olympic bid over Zoom

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“I commend the leadership of the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, who have built excitement around this process, together with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee. I also want to recognize the support from the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.”

Beare says the host Nations were notified earlier this week.

“They’re extraordinarily disappointed and it’s understandable. I very much understand that. This is a model that is truly unique and it’s something we need to applaud. Having our First-Nations-led bid is something the IOC should really pay attention to. We’re going to keep working with the host Nations to advance reconciliation, like we do every single day. And I have given them my commitment to do that,” she said.

However, a Squamish Nation councillor is calling the B.C. government out, saying, “we feel very disrespected.”

The concept for the 2030 Olympics was officially unveiled by stakeholders in Whistler this past June. The plan noted various resorts and facilities across B.C. as potential Olympic venues, with many existing venues incorporated into the vision for reuse.

Beare says organizing the Olympics would cost a lot of money, adding even with help from the federal government, it would still be very expensive.

“Their support policy is very clear, as well. Thirty-per-cent up to 50 per cent, depending on how good it is structured, and that doesn’t change. So we already knew what the federal government, if they were  to choose to support it, they would be able to invest under their support policy. And we were still looking at over $2 billion in costs for the people of British Columbia.”

The last Olympics to be hosted in B.C. was in Vancouver in 2010.

Members of the IOC were in Vancouver this past May to see whether the province was ready to host the international multi-sport event again.

Vancouver was named a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 16, 2022.

Early estimates have suggested the cost of planning, staging, and hosting matches in Vancouver would range between $240 million and $260 million.

B.C. tourism association ‘recognizes challenges’ province facing

While hosting the Olympics could have brought in cash and a boost for tourism, the industry in B.C. seems to be understanding of the province’s decision.

“Obviously we would have loved to have hosted the Games, we know what success 2010 was, but we also recognize the challenges that the government’s facing right now with a crisis in health care, an ongoing pandemic, potential recession coming down the road. There are so many unknowns. It’s sad but unfortunately, they have other priorities at this time,” said J.J. Belanger, chair of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C.

He says the Invictus Games and the World Cup are opportunities for B.C. to showcase what the province can do. In addition to these two events bringing in visitors from abroad and revenue to local businesses, Belanger notes they also show the province has some of the infrastructure needed to host the Olympics — even if it’s not in 2030.

“We’re poised and positioned to do this. The opportunity may not come around in 2030 but if we can come out of this pandemic and move forward, host these two events that are coming up, it might put us in a good spot for 2034 or 2038. So there’s lots of opportunities and we hope that we have the opportunity again to host,” he told CityNews.

“The province has said that they were kind of leaning in this direction anyway so it’s really not a big shock to me or to us. But, again, hopefully this is just a stumbling block and we can bring the Games back at some point in the future.”

-With files from Charlie Carey