The Winter Olympics, which open Friday in Beijing, could return to British Columbia in 2030.
The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic committees announced Tuesday they have signed an agreement to explore the feasibility of playing host to the 2030 Winter Games in a bid led by four First Nations and the cities of Vancouver and Whistler.
The agreement was made by representatives of the Lil̓wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations, along with the mayors of Vancouver and Whistler.
Dean Nelson of Lil̓wat Nation called the collaboration groundbreaking.
“There is potential for these Games to be a social innovation driver for First Nations — we will be considering the many ways this potential can be realized,” he said in a statement.
“We are only at the beginning of determining what an indigenous-led Games could look like, but through collaboration and mutual respect, we have the opportunity to create a unique Olympic legacy for all of our communities,” Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow said in a statement. “Our relations have never been stronger and we’re on a path to really, really see reconciliation and action.”
Vancouver-Whistler held a successful Games in 2010. As a result, much of the necessary infrastructure, such as sliding and ski jumping facilities, are ready for the undertaking.
Other former host cities, Salt Lake City and Sapporo, Japan, also are considering bids for 2030. So are Pyrenees-Barcelona in Spain and Ukraine.
International Olympic Committee members are expected to award the bid next year as they typically give host cities seven years to prepare for a Games. They have already awarded Brisbane, Australia, the 2032 Summer Olympics.
