Quebec City mayor meets IOC president in Switzerland to discuss Olympics bid
Régis Labeaume says IOC would have to meet many conditions if Quebec City were to try for 2026 Winter Games
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume says many conditions would have to be met for his city to proceed with a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Labeaume will discuss some of those conditions when he meets IOC president Thomas Bach today in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Lausanne is where the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located. The mayor said Bach invited him earlier this winter. He will also meet with officials from other sports organizations while he's there.
Although the trip and meeting are a step towards what could eventually be a bid, Labeaume is quick to list conditions that would need to be met before that bid becomes a reality.
Shared games?
He said the population of Quebec has to demonstrate its interest, and the Games would have to be modest.
Labeaume has also expressed interest in sharing the games with another city, such as Lake Placid, Calgary or Vancouver.
The mayor referred to Agenda 2020, a major reform package brought in by Bach that was adopted by the IOC in late 2014. It included, among many initiatives, plans to encourage cheaper, more flexible bids to attract more host cities.
Labeaume said he wants to know how serious those proposals are.
"Is the will really there?" he asked.
The mayor said the kind of Winter Games he imagines for Quebec City are along the lines of the event held in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994.
He also said he has the support of Premier Philippe Couillard.
"The prime minister told me, 'We want them,'" he said.