Now, exploration is underway with an eye on bringing the Games back again in eight years.
Following several months of discovery, a concept to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in British Columbia has been publicly revealed.
This is an Indigenous-led, privately funded process. These Games would be a chance to remember our past, renew our present as the country and the world emerges from the pandemic, and reimagine our future as a nation that holds Truth and Reconciliation, sustainability, and our physical and mental health paramount.
The Games would also be an investment in Canada – in jobs, infrastructure, sport, our athletes, and First Nations – and offer an opportunity to revitalize the tourism industry and local economy. These will be the first Games that are climate positive.
For the official 2030 Games Hosting Concept Reveal click here.
Read on for the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the history and current status of the effort to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games back to Canada’s west coast. As more details become available, this page will be updated.
You can also learn more about the vision behind the project and the progress being made by visiting gamesengagement.ca.
Members of the public are invited to share their thoughts about the vision for and future legacy of a 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games hosted in British Columbia by completing a short survey.
What does it mean that the process to host the 2030 Games is Indigenous-led?
The Líl̓wat (Lilwat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, who were the Four Host First Nations of Vancouver 2010, invited the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) onto their land to collaborate on assessing the feasibility of hosting the 2030 Games.
These First Nations have had and will have governance-level oversight at every stage of the project. This is a change from Vancouver 2010 when the Four Host First Nations joined the bid process after it had already begun and advanced.
This new approach stems from a commitment to reconciliation. Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action 91 states “We call upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympic, Pan Am, and Commonwealth Games to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events.”
What cities are included in the concept to host the 2030 Games?
As in 2010, the cities of Vancouver and Richmond on B.C.’s lower mainland as well as the Resort Municipality of Whistler would be home to some Olympic and Paralympic venues. Joining for the 2030 Games would be Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality near Kamloops.
What Vancouver 2010 venues are being included in the 2030 Games concept?
Many venues used for Vancouver 2010 – some of which were newly built for those Games while others were already existing – would once again play host to Olympic and Paralympic competitions and celebrations.
This includes three competition venues in Whistler:
• Whistler Creekside (alpine skiing - speed events, para snowboard)
• Whistler Sliding Centre (bobsleigh, skeleton luge)
• Whistler Olympic Park (biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, para Nordic skiing)
It includes four competition venues on the lower mainland:
• Richmond Olympic Oval (long track speed skating)
• UBC Thunderbird Arena (ice hockey, para ice hockey)
• Rogers Arena (ice hockey)
• Pacific Coliseum (figure skating, short track speed skating)
In addition, BC Place would host Opening and Closing Ceremonies once again. The Vancouver Convention Centre would be the site of the Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre.
What other existing venues are being included in the 2030 Games concept?
The Agrodome near the Pacific Coliseum in Hastings Park would host curling and wheelchair curling.
What new venues will need to be built for the 2030 Games?
A temporary venue for the big air events in freestyle skiing and snowboard would be constructed at the Hastings Racecourse near the Pacific Coliseum and Agrodome.
All other Olympic freestyle skiing and snowboard events would be held at the Sun Peaks Resort, which has recently hosted national level competitions in both sports.
A new stadium and courses would be constructed at Whistler Ptarmigan for alpine skiing technical events as well as para alpine skiing.
What are the proposed dates for the 2030 Games?
The 2030 Olympic Winter Games are proposed for February 8-24, 2030 while the 2030 Paralympic Winter Games are proposed for March 8-17, 2030.
Where are we in the bid timeline for the 2030 Games?
In 2019, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) changed its Future Host Election process to be more streamlined, more flexible, and ensure significant cost savings for interested regions.
It begins with a non-committal Continuous Dialogue phase during which interested parties talk to the IOC about potential bids for future Games and receive support to analyze and assess their projects.
Then comes the Targeted Dialogue phase which opens when the IOC Executive Board invites one or more Preferred Host(s) to have more detailed discussions to refine their proposal for a specific edition of the Games. After several months in this phase, the Future Host Commission prepares a report to be considered by the IOC Executive Board. The Board then decides whether to recommend one or more Preferred Host(s) to the IOC Session for the final selection.
In December 2021, the Four First Nations, the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee to officially collaborate on exploring the feasibility of hosting the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in British Columbia.
In February 2022, those same stakeholders committed to participate in a feasibility assessment and initial concept development for the 2030 Games that respected the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action 91, the province of British Columbia’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the federal government’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
From January to June 2022, the feasibility study was undertaken by the COC, CPC, Four First Nations, and experts hired by the COC.
On June 14, 2022, the bid concept was publicly revealed in a traditional Indigenous ceremony. Through July that concept will be reviewed by all Games partners – including all levels of government – for their approval.
From July 2022 to April 2023, the hope is to gradually move into the Targeted Dialogue phase with the IOC and launch a formal bid.
What other regions are considering a bid to host the 2030 Games?
In addition to Canada, three other countries have publicly expressed interest in hosting the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games:
• Salt Lake City, Utah, USA - Host of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
• Sapporo Japan - Host of the 1972 Olympic Winter Games
• Barcelona-Pyrenees, Spain - Host of the 1992 Olympic Summer Games
When will the host for the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games be announced?
It is anticipated that the IOC will name the host of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games during the IOC Session in May 2023.
What do you remember most about Vancouver 2010? Stir up the nostalgia and share your stories about what those Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games meant to you.
Written and shared by the Canadian Olympic Committee.
