IOC's Jacques Rogge encourages Olympic bids for Quebec City, Toronto
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge believes there is an opportunity for either Quebec City or Toronto to host a future Olympic Games.
During a wide-ranging one-on-one interview with CBC Sports Weekend host Scott Russell shortly after the IOC meetings in Quebec City, Rogge discussed the possibilities of Canada landing another Olympics.
While Vancouver just wrapped up the 2010 Winter Olympics, Rogge still thinks it’s realistic for Quebec City to aspire to host the Games as early as 2026.
"You organized the Games in Montreal [1976] and Calgary [1988], and Vancouver, so why not Quebec?" Rogge asked.
"To organize the Games leaves a great legacy but I would need to study the file for Quebec. But I think you have the size, population, [and] geography would not be an issue of course. [The] economy of Canada is strong and there’s a love of Canadians for sport.
As for Toronto, which failed in its bids for both the 1996 and 2008 Olympics, Rogge said the chances for Canada’s biggest market in landing a future Olympics may be tied to how successful the city can be at hosting the 2015 Pan Am Games.
"I think it could be important," Rogge explained to Russell. "It could be a stepping stone to the Olympic Games. We’ve seen it with Rio [de Janeiro], who organized the Pan American Games [in 2007] before being awarded the [2016] Olympic Games. I think that’s the same example. To stage well, a big event, that’s important because the Pan American Games is a big event. To stage it well would give a brand to Toronto that they are ready for other organizations."
On the topic of safety, Rogge is aware of how the recent deaths of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke and skicross racer Nik Zoricic have brought to light the dangers for the all athletes. But he points out that the IOC has gone to great measures in limiting the risks.
"Safety and securing is of course paramount and important, not just for the Olympic Games but for sport in general. And unfortunately we lost the two Canadians, but also we lost the life of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger from Georgia, in the Vancouver Games.
"We have started a major survey with all the major federations on safety and security. Together we already changed a lot of rules that contain the potential danger or hazard for the health and security and safety for the athletes. We’ve introduced head gear and helmets for boxing, we have forbidden certain tricks in gymnastics because they were too dangerous. I can go on.
"We are taking all possible measures that are studied scientifically. You will never avoid the risk in sport, that’s impossible. But you have to reduce the risk to the lowest possible level and you have the moral duty to take all the measures that you can take to avoid [the dangers]."