It’s official.
Sun Peaks has been included by the Canadian Olympic Committee to be part of Canada’s bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics, which is scheduled to take place between Feb. 8 and 24, 2030.
The joint bid with Vancouver and Whistler would see events like snowboarding, moguls, and freestyle skiing that were held at Cypress Mountain in 2010, moved to Sun Peaks in 2030.
Tim Gayda, a venue expert with the Canadian Olympic Committee, and says Morrisey Mountain at Sun Peaks is what drew them to the area initially.
“To find six different courses to come down into two finish areas is a bit of magical mountain to find, because they’re all at different angles, so we were able to find all six courses in two stadiums on the one mountain, which is a unique thing to do,” he said. “That was the starting point.”
“It is on a north facing slope which is very important to us when we’re managing snow. It really allowed the sports to have early season and very late season.”
Beyond that, Gayda says Kamloops’ position as the Tournament Capital of Canada also played a role in choosing Sun Peaks.
“Their ability to host events was a great support to what that venue could be,” he said.
While Sun Peaks will have its own athletes village and medal plaza, hotels in the City of Kamloops will be used to host media and volunteers.
“[The 2030 Olympic Bid Committee] came and looked at the technical requirements, put technical people in to assess the potential here in Sun Peaks and we kind of cooperated and assisted them,” Sun Peaks Mayor, Al Raine, told NL News last month.
“There would have to be some clearing of the runs [on Morrisey Mountain] for some of the events, and we would have to figure out exactly how an Olympic Village would work for those athletes.”
Canada’s bid for the 2030 Olympics is an Indigenous-led effort between the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations.
“This exciting concept for a 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games is about more than building on the successful legacy of the 2010 Games,” COC President, and four-time Olympian, Tricia Smith, said.
“An Indigenous led process, based on respect, inclusivity and community, started with an invitation from the Host First Nations to come to the table, each bringing unique strengths, to create an exceptional Games and to welcome the world in 2030.”
The COC won’t be releasing any costing or financial details of this bid until July. It also did not say if there is provincial or federal support for this bid, with those details also expected next month.
As well, full financial and other details from the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) remains sealed at the Vancouver Archives until 2025. The panel did not say if it would support opening those files earlier so people could have a better idea what the 2010 games cost before making a decision about the 2030 bid.
Two previous winter Olympic venues in Salt Lake City in Utah (2002), and Sapporo in Japan (1972), are also in the running to host these games.
All of the groups involved in this Canadian bid must decide by December if they want to engage in official talks with the International Olympic Committee, which is expected to choose the host country next year.
The entirety of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s games hosting concept can be found in both English and French.
– With files from Brett Mineer and Paul James