2030 Olympics: The mayor of Quebec is open to candidacy for the Olympics

Unlike his predecessor, Regis Labomme, who twice shut the door to a bid for the Olympics in 2030, Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand asserts that his “phone is unlocked” if Vancouver withdraws.

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The Vancouver – Whistler – Sun Peaks Olympic bid project, backed for some time by the Canadian Olympic Committee for the Winter Olympics (OG) in 2030, lost its bid. Days ago, the British Columbia government announced its decision not to provide financial support for this project with a value of between 3.5 and 4 billions of dollars.

Quebec City, the collapsed 2002 Olympics candidate, could take the reins? When asked at a press conference about such a possibility, Mayor Bruno Marchand showed an astonishing openness that had not been noticed for a long time at City Hall.

My phone is unlocked. If the Canadian Olympic Committee, which chose Vancouver for 2030, says that it is no longer possible given the location of British Columbia and is looking for a partner, we will certainly discuss that.”

a lot of questions

Repeating that he was ready to “listen,” the mayor tempered his enthusiasm himself by reminding that there are many issues to assess and more questions than answers at present.

“It shouldn’t get in the way of the city budget. It must be fun […] You have to consider the financial considerations. Did you know that there are mountain related issues? What partnerships do we do? Is this possible? Is it financially sound? If the answers are yes, do we have a chance? We will definitely set it up.”

Villeneuve is quite the opposite

The opposition leader at the City Hall, Claude Villeneuve, is strongly against the idea of ​​exploring this route. “I don’t believe in this approach. […] If I had to be Mayor Boucher for 2022 in a story like this, I’d be happy to be. We remember that she was an opponent at the time. His reaction was that this is an interesting story.

“The truth is that the International Olympic Committee [Comité international olympique] He can no longer find the cities that would like to organize the Olympic Games. Nobody sees any interest in it anymore because it has become so expensive. I, if Quebec got into this, I don’t think it would be in Quebec’s interest, but in the IOC’s interest,” the Quebec president added first.

The former mayor of Quebec, Regis Labomme, had flirted with the Olympic dream a few years ago. He even traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2016 to meet IOC President Thomas Bach in person. He was then disappointed, and considered the adventure too risky and expensive.

“You shouldn’t think about it. It doesn’t work, it’s utopian, and it’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen,” he announced last year in order to crack down on a project by Quebec-area entrepreneurs who were trying to revive the Olympic torch anew.