Calgary 2026 Olympics legacy would build on 1988's sports endowment, Winsport president says

Barry Heck says he's not fearmongering when it comes to what's at stake for WinSport, the agency that oversees many of Calgary's 1988 Olympic venues, if voters reject making a bid for the 2026 Winter Games.

"It's not fearmongering, this is reality," said Heck, the president and CEO of WinSport, a non-profit agency that was borne out of the 1988 Winter Olympics but 30 years on is facing some challenging financial decisions.

Heck says a victory for the Yes side and the naming of Calgary as the host city for 2026 would ensure venues from the '88 Games would get a desperately needed re-boot and help sustain WinSport itself.

The non-profit agency runs an operating deficit every year. The most recent shortfall came in at $3 million last year. 

One of the key legacies from 1988 was an endowment fund that helps cover those operating losses.

Since 1988, Heck says, the fund has "kicked out" $230 million to support athletes and facilities. The current balance is approximately $125 million, but Heck says the endowment funds are not a long-term solution for WinSport's operations.

"Although we still have access to those funds when they earn money, they're simply not sufficient to sustain our operations today," he said.

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Heck says hosting the 2026 Games would set them on solid financial footing — and renew all of the aging venues from '88. That's why he's urging Calgarians to vote Yes on Nov. 13.

"Yes, I think without the Games it is fair to say our future in how we operate is going to have to ... we've got some real challenges ahead of us," he said.

Part of WinSport's mandate is to "allow people of all ages to discover, develop and excel at sport" at world-class training facilities.

The Calgary 2026 hosting plan promises upgrades to WinSport's sliding track, which is used for luge and bobsleigh, the ski hill at Canada Olympic Park, the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary and the Canmore Nordic Centre.

The sliding track is undergoing a $22-million upgrade, $17 million of which is covered by the federal and provincial governments. Heck says they have to find money to cover the remaining amount.

The bid corporation also promises a $180-million endowment fund to support facility operations and programming based on a number of objectives set by Games' funding and sport partners. The fund will focus on Indigenous and disadvantaged youth, cultural programs, sport development and high-performance sport.

Specific details, including eligible venues, will be outlined in a formal plan if the Games are awarded to Calgary.

When asked whether WinSport would be a beneficiary, the bid corporation replied in an email to CBC News: "We haven't confirmed who all the beneficiaries would be but we cannot envision a situation where WinSport is not included," said James Millar.

The bid corporation says improvements are also planned for McMahon stadium, the Saddledome and the Nakiska ski hill.  The overall budget for venue renewal is $502 million, including contingencies.

Millar says the Calgary 2026 endowment plan is modelled after similar funds set up after the Olympics in Vancouver, which created a $110-million fund, and the Toronto Pan Am Games, which left behind a $77-million fund.

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Heck wants Calgarians to learn as much as they can about the bid and then vote in the plebiscite.

"I wanna be very careful, I don't want to be out there saying we're going to die if we don't get these Games. We will find a way. But for us to continue to do what we've done for the last 30 years, we are going to need a renewal, and absent the Games, it's going to be very challenging to find that renewal," he said.

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