BREAKING UP THE OLD AND NEW CODE
Calgary's bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2026 narrowly survived a council meeting late Wednesday and now rests in the hands of the public in a November 13 referendum.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The Calgary Herald reported eight of the 15-member council voted to abandon the bid but as this was a "reconsideration" rather than a fresh decision, a two-thirds majority was needed.
A funding deal has been agreed between the city, the state province of Alberta and the Canadian federal government but this is dependent on the bid being approved in the referendum.
Calgary previously held the Games in 1988 and is up against Stockholm and a joint bid from Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo when the International Olympic Committee makes its decision next September.
The Swedish and Italian bids have political and financial problems to deal with but there is no guarantee Calgary will survive the public vote.
Recently when the public have been given a say over Olympic bids, they have rejected the chance to host the Games - Munich, Boston, Sion, Krakow and Budapest are among those to have seen bids vetoed either in votes or because the result was a foregone conclusion.
The 2022 Games are to be held in Beijing after the Chinese capital won the event against Almaty in Kazakhstan.
