The western Canadian city of Vancouver and the municipality of Whistler, together with Indigenous First Nations representatives, will explore the feasibility of bidding to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, officials said on Friday.
Vancouver, Whistler and representatives of four First Nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the feasibility of what they described as indigenous-led Olympic Games.
There are more than 630 First Nations communities in Canada, representing more than 50 countries and 50 indigenous languages, which make up about 5% of the country’s population of 38 million.
Vancouver and Whistler previously hosted the 2010 Winter Games where Canada topped the medal tally for the first time in a Winter or Summer Olympics.
“This MoU is an important first step towards exploring the feasibility of bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the region,” the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees said in a statement.
“We believe this agreement provides the foundation for transformative change for future organizing and collaborative work with Indigenous communities in Canada and around the world.”
An exploration committee is the key step before the International Olympic Committee’s efforts to transition to a new bidding committee for an actual pitch.
The decision comes three years after residents of Calgary, host of the 1988 Winter Olympics, voted vigorously against the western Canadian city’s plan to bid for the 2026 Games.
Beijing is scheduled to host the next Winter Olympics from February 4-20 next year, while Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy has already been selected to stage the 2026 edition.
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