Hayley Wickenheiser supports Calgary Olympic bid

She's one of Canada's most decorated Olympians and now Hayley Wickenheiser is throwing her support behind a bid for the 2026 Winter Games to be held in Calgary.

"They know what they're doing. They've been through it before. I think they'll be in contention for sure," Wickenheiser said.

The Shaunavon, Sask., native was just 10 years old when she traveled to Calgary for the 1988 Olympics. She still recalls the catchy David Foster Olympic theme song.

"I woke up this morning and I played that song," Wickenheiser said. "I haven't played it since '88. I had these memories of walking through Stephen Avenue and buying my first poster, that had cartoons of all the Olympics sports and flags of the world, which I still have on my wall in my office to this day."

Wickenheiser will never forget what watching one event during those Games meant to her. 

"We had no money to be buying tickets to many of the events, hockey or anything like that," Wickenheiser said. "I remember I got to watch one event which was ski jumping. And I watched Matti Nykänen win all those gold medals."

Wickenheiser went back to her grandpa's farm in Saskatchewan and immediately tried building a ski jump out of the hay loft in the barn. She said that Olympic experience in Calgary changed her life. 

"I didn't know at that time my sport was going to be hockey, but it was going to be something."

Wickenheiser has competed for Canada in the last five winter Olympics, winning four gold medals and one silver medal with the women's hockey team. She also competed for Canada's softball team in the 2000 Sydney Summer Games.

In February, 2014, Wickenheiser was named to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission. A position she still currently holds.

"I believe right now, in terms of what we're seeing with the doping situation, the strongest voices for stern action are coming from Canada," Wickenheiser said.

"It's Canada that's really standing up and saying we owe it the athletes and the people of the world to have the integrity of the Games. I feel that Calgary would be a great city to show that."

First step towards 2026

Calgary's city council took the first step in a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games this week, voting in favour of a feasibility study examining the costs and benefits of hosting the Games. 

The Calgary Sport Tourism Authority wants up to $5 million for the study. Wickenheiser understands how some feel that's a lot of money but says it's important to do it right. 

"I think this is a small expense to pay in the big picture. The Games are so complicated and so elaborate. There's so much involved in a bid that you don't want to actually place a bid and go down that road unless you do your diligence."

The Canadian Olympic Committee wants to hear from Canadian cities interested in bidding for 2026 by the end of June. The International Olympic Committee wants to hear from potential candidates by September next year. A final decision, should this all move forward would come July 2019.

"We are a winter nation. We do winter sports very well. And we excel at it. This just seems natural."