Calgary 2026 Winter Olympics bid dead after 'no' vote

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Calgary's hopes of hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics were dashed on Tuesday after citizens voted resoundingly against the western Canadian city's plan to bid for the Games.

More than 56 percent of voters said "No" in the plebiscite, a surprisingly lopsided margin after both sides had expected a close call in the city which hosted the 1988 Winter Games.

After witnessing a high turnout, with more than 304,000 ballots cast in a reflection of the interest in the poll, the unofficial results had 132,832 opting "For" and 171,750 "Against" Calgary making a bid to host the Games.

The outcome was another blow for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has seen interest in hosting Games fall dramatically as the size and cost of staging the multi-sport event has skyrocketed.

Hannes Zehentner of Germany competes in men's downhill event during the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, February 15, 1988. /VCG File Photo

The Calgary vote leaves Sweden's Stockholm and an Italian bid involving Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo as the only candidates left in the race.

Swiss city Sion, Japan's Sapporo and Graz in Austria all withdrew earlier this year, while Turkey's Erzurum was last month eliminated from the bidding process by the IOC, which will elect the winning bid in June 2019.

The Calgary 2026 Bid Corporation and Canada Olympic Committee (COC) both acknowledged that the people had spoken, with the former saying it would wrap up operations in the next few weeks.

(Top image: A view of the Olympic flame and flag during the opening ceremony of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, February 13, 1988. /VCG File Photo)

Source(s): Reuters