British Columbia is not supporting a Vancouver bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, a province official said Thursday.
If that ends the bid, the 2030 Winter Games are down to two current candidates: Salt Lake City and Sapporo, Japan, with an IOC decision on the host expected next year.
“I know that the prospect of hosting these Games is exciting to athletes and sports fans,” Lisa Beare, British Columbia Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, said in a statement. “However, the Province has the responsibility to weigh the benefits with the costs and possible risks of the project. There are billions of dollars in direct costs, and potential guarantee and indemnity liability risks on this project that could jeopardize our government’s ability to address pressures facing British Columbians right now. Based on careful consideration, the Province is declining to support a bid.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee said in a statement that they “believe in the strengths” of the Indigenous-led bid process, are “taking time to process” the B.C. government announcement and will hold a news conference on Friday.
In 2020, the Vancouver City Council began exploring a bid to bring the Winter Olympics back to British Columbia after it hosted in 2010. Canada had not officially bid for a Summer Olympics or Winter Olympics since those Games.
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee officials have said Salt Lake City is a likelier candidate for 2034 than 2030, but could step in for 2030 if asked.
The U.S. last hosted a Winter Games in 2002, when it was Salt Lake City. In 2018, the USOPC chose Salt Lake City as its potential bid city over Denver and Reno-Tahoe.
Sapporo, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972, was announced as a 2030 Winter Olympic bid city after withdrawing from the 2026 race in 2018.
Another bid from Spain was withdrawn in June.
Host cities have traditionally been chosen by IOC members vote seven years before the Games, though recent reforms allow flexibility on the process and timeline.
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