Category Archives: Olympics

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Giannis Antetokounmpo is preparing for the upcoming season with the Milwaukee Bucks, but part of his mind is still on the Greek national team.

Speaking to COSMOTE TV, the Greek television rights holder of the NBA, while in Abhu Dabi for the exhibition games against the Hawks, Giannis explained his mentality going forward concerning the national team: We have to go step by step. No matter the result in Eurobasket, I think the national team improved this year on every aspect and from now on, the goal doesnt change.

The Greek Freak is referring to the fact that the Greek national team, a two-time European champion and silver medal winner in the FIBA World Cup, has won its last medal, a bronze, back in Eurobasket 2009.

Giannis clearly states that one of his goals remains a medal with the Greek national team: We have two upcoming chances in the FIBA World Cup and hopefully in the Olympics. We built something special, and this jersey is heavy. I have played for 10 years now with the Bucks, but the national team jersey is different. You may wake up with bigger anxiety but you know you can give joy to millions. I never felt so much love in my life from all over the world who engaged with the national team and followed us everywhere we went. From Madrid for the prep games to Milan and Berlin for the tournament. As I already wrote on my social media, I fell in love with the game again this summer.

With Greece opening by custom the Olympic parade of athletes, Giannis can be the first to enter the Olympic Stadium in Paris in 2024, as the flag bearer of Greece, an honor that in the past had for their countries basketball icons like Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki.

It will be amazing to be a flag bearer in the 2024 Olympics but there are steps we have to take to get there, said Giannis.

Speaking about the Bucks, the two-time former MVP added: I am well physically, as well as mentally. We must be ready for the season, hope we stay healthy and do well with the Bucks. I believe that every year five or six teams have a chance for the title and we are one of them. It is very good that we kept the same core of players, we are close and know each other. The most important thing is to be healthy.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo: It will be amazing to be the flag bearer in the 2024 Olympics - Eurohoops

Ben Jennings, a student at Butler University, says his one goal is to reach for gold at the 2024 Games in Paris.

INDIANAPOLIS The Summer Olympics are still two years away, but a teenager from Carmel is already hard at work to make Team USA.

Ben Jennings is currently a student at Butler University and says his one goal is to reach for gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

In between classes, you'll find Jennings scrambling up a wall. He makes it look easy.

"I love it," Jennings said. "It's so creative. It's a different sport than you're ever going to find. The community, the friendships I have made from being on a team and being a member of the community are friendships I will have the rest of my life."

He's a modern day Spider-Man. He can scale a 45-foot wall in less than six seconds.

"As quickly and as cleanly as possible is the goal," Jennings said. "Consistency is a big issue for most people. That's why the fastest person usually never wins because they slip and they get passed. The cleanest person is who takes the win."

He took up the sport just a few years ago, after a visit to his uncle's house in West Virginia.

"I was in between sports at the time, so he was like, 'Why don't you try climbing?' Then, we came home and came to the gym and I've been here pretty much ever since," Jennings said.

He caught on quickly. Now, he's competing across the country. He's ranked third in the nation, 11th in the world, and he has a shot at making the 2024 Olympic team.

"It would be a dream come true, honestly," he said.

His mom is there to encourage him.

"I think he can do it," Sandy Chouinard said. "He has to work hard. There is lots of competition, and he has to stay focused, keep practicing."

Day after day, Jennings climbs toward his dream.

"I have always been very athletic and known I have wanted to do something to, like, create a legacy for me one day. I found this sport," Jennings said.

The climb to the top isn't easy, but Jennings appears to be on the fast track.

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Carmel teen climbing toward his 2024 Olympics dream - WTHR

The Olympics is one of the biggest sports festivals in the world that represents traditional sports. From the first event back in 1896, its history spans over 100 years, which makes the Olympics value and tradition solid.

However, there has been some change coming in the Olympics. Last year, they held the Olympic Virtual Series, which was an event based on virtual games. There were five events within the series baseball, cycling, rowing, sailing, and motor racing. According to IESF, there were 1.2 million viewers for the last Olympic Virtual Series.

The Olympic movement is continuing to attempt to connect with esports. How much has it progressed? How will it go in the future? Inven spoke with Vincent Pereira, the head of virtual sports in the International Olympic Committee, and listened to the thoughts the Olympics have on esports.

2021 saw your inaugural virtual competition, the Olympic Virtual Series. Was it successful? How did the fans react?

The Olympic Virtual Series (OVS) was launched in summer 2021 and featured virtual competitions in sports such as baseball, cycling, rowing, sailing, and motor racing. It was a success, with more than 250,000 people participating across both the qualifying and finals events. The OVS reflects the mission we have supporting the development of virtual sports. This was a good start for us, and we have ambitions to continue to do more in the coming years.

What are the future plans for the OVS or other IOC esports initiatives?

Following the success of the OVS last year, we are building on this by planning the first festival of virtual sports and gaming. It will take place next year and will showcase the best of virtual sports hybrid and simulated sports games, plus esports that align with the Olympic values. It is about celebrating and exploring the best of virtual sports, across technology exhibitions, show matches, panel discussions, education sessions, etc. This is our focus for now.

Esports is a different concept from traditional sport, but there are still some things in common. What does the IOC plan to do?

We agree with you. Esports and sports are two distinct competitions, and its right to treat them as such, but there are, of course, some synergies. The IOC supports all different types of competition, and we believe exploring bringing together two of the best competitive communities the Olympic Movement and esports - can potentially lead to exciting developments in global competition.

There are many areas where sports can support esports for example, the Olympic Movement has tools and resources in areas such as competitor development. If there are things we can do to support this development, were happy to explore doing so.

Since traditional sports are mostly physical, some people dont think that esports can ever become real sports. What is your opinion on this?

As I said, sports and esports are two distinct forms of competition; therefore, we dont think it is necessary to try and compare them in this way. There are, of course, areas where the two meet, such as Zwift, where physical activity is combined with virtual technologies. It is this area of virtual sports that we are most interested in developing within the Olympic Movement.

There are people who think that traditional sports or the IOC are just using the esports scene for their own development. Do you have anything to say about this?

Supporting the development of virtual forms of sports, and connecting with the gaming community, are key areas of focus for us, laid out in the Olympic Agenda 2020+5. First, its about how we can bring together the Olympic Movement and the esports communities to explore and collaborate in the future. We believe there is potential for exciting developments for global competitions and creating new opportunities for players and fans. For us, it makes sense to keep up with the developments in how people compete, and it is also one of the ways we can keep connected to young people.

The Olympic Virtual Series featured some virtual sports, but what esports fans want to see is the major esports titles such as League of Legends at the Olympics. Do you think this will be possible?

For now, we are focusing on virtual and simulated sports competition. This is why we are promoting sports games that are linked to our International Federations (IFs). The partnership between the International Baseball Federation and Konami is a good example of this. Our mission is to support the growth of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement, so this is why well create new opportunities for IFs, publishers, and fans to be involved in virtual sports and see how we can work together.

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IOC Vincent discusses esports in the Olympics: "We are planning the first festival of virtual sports and gaming." - InvenGlobal

The spotlight shone brightly on the late Kobe Bryant in Netflixs The Redeem Team released earlier this month. While the world is aware of the kind of 'Mamba Mentality' the Los Angeles Lakers star bought to the table day in and day out, there was more about his persona that his Olympics 2008 teammates revealed.

One of the instances was how Bryant never let his guard down around people, and Carmelo Anthony recalled the Five-time NBA champ was even reluctant to let the team plan a celebration for his 30th birthday.

Speaking in the riveting sports documentary, Anthony recounted the days leading up to his birthday when Bryant was all about not having anything special planned.

Kobe kept telling us, Nah, dont do nothing. I know yall planning something. Dont do Nothing.'"

But it wasnt meant to be as LeBron James, then one of his teammates along with the rest of the squad had planned for a small celebration where they cut a cake and sang the birthday song. Anthony also shared a key insight

You know he always had this wall up with people, and he always a competitor with everybody. You could tell he was super excited because we did it. Like, wow, they really opened up their arms for me. That birthday celebration put the stamp on it.

It was indeed one of the memorable moments for the team that year as they pipped Spain to win the Gold and the contest was regarded as one of the greatest basketball games to have ever been played.

When the two teams met in the Group B stage, the United States notched up a comprehensive 112-89 win with James (18) doing some damage.

But prior to the game, Bryant had made it explicitly clear that he would run through Pau Gasol his Lakers teammate regardless of the bond they shared when they suited up together in the NBA.

It didnt matter to Bryant what his teammates said, as he was focused on delivering the gold to his country. True to his word, he tackled Gasol the minute the referee blew the opening whistle putting the Spaniard on the hardwood.

The move set the tone and the team dominated for the remainder of the game, although the finals were a rather shot-to-shot contest. For those who want to watch the entire sequence, The Redeem Team is currently streaming on Netflix

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Kobe Bryant Told His 2008 Olympics Teammates Dont Do Nothing For His 30th Birthday But LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, And Others Decide To Surprise...

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Cops on the Coop raises funds for Special Olympics - Index-Journal

LeBron James thought of quitting team USA after an embarrassing defeat in the 2004 Olympics

Modified Oct 12, 2022 11:52 PM EDT

Along with being one of the NBA's greatest players, LeBron James has also had great success on the Olympic stage. He's competed for team USA three times at the quadrennial event over the years and secured two golds and one bronze medal.

The LA Lakers superstar has proved to be a valuable piece for team USA over the course of his career. However, one of basketball's best talents almost joined the list of players who opted not to compete for their country in front of a global audience.

What almost pushed James over the edge was how things unfolded during the 2004 Summer Olympics. Team USA finished the Games with a bronze medal and the then emerging superstar thought of stopping his involvement with the team.

Thankfully, the All-Star forward had a change of heart when it came time to assemble a group for the 2008 Olympics. In a recent documentary about that team, LeBron James spoke about his mindset following a lackluster performance four years prior. He said:

Even though things did not go their way in 2004, LeBron James made the right decision by not walking away for good. If he had not played in 2008, the Redeem Team might not have been as special as it was.

Following a bronze medal finish in 2004, the NBA's top talent came together to reclaim the top spot at the 2008 Olympics. Some of the featured names included Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. It's worth noting that at the time, all of these players were in their prime.

As one of the NBA's biggest stars at the time, LeBron James carried the weight of leading an incredible squad. They all came together for a common goal, and as the face of the league, he needed to play his part.

Thanks to the talent on the roster, Team USA made quick work of the competition. They won their first two games by at least 20 points and beat Spain by double digits in the Gold Medal match.

While his Olympic career didn't start out on a high note, "King James" managed to turn things around and add two gold medals to his long list of accolades.

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Mikaela Shiffrin is preparing for what could be her busiest Alpine ski racing season ever.

It might become her fastest, too.

Coming off a season that included Olympic disappointment but also her fourth overall World Cup title, the American is eager to add more speed events to her schedule.

The World Cup season, which starts with a giant slalom in Austria on Oct. 22, includes 42 races, plus six events at the world championships in France in February.

Im probably not going to do all of them. But I would like to focus a bit more on some of the super-G races and, for sure, all the slaloms and the GS, Shiffrin told The Associated Press in a recent video call.

Shiffrin has never raced more than 26 World Cup events in any of her 11 seasons on the circuit. That could change in 2022-23, with 11 slaloms, 10 giant slaloms and nine super-Gs on the cards.

And dont rule out a few downhill starts, too, even though she will sit out the new Zermatt-Cervinia speed season opener early November.

Downhill takes more time, more days, more effort, so then its less training for other events. We pick and choose which downhill is possible, said Shiffrin, adding it brings me a lot of joy to ski super-G, as long as my slalom and GS feel like they are on point, then we try that out.

Going into the new season also draws a line under the previous one, which was overshadowed by Shiffrins surprising lack of medals at the Beijing Games, where she failed to finish any of the tech races and placed ninth in super-G and 18th in downhill.

The biggest takeaway from the Olympics is those races didnt take away anything from anything else that happened in my career, Shiffrin said.

Its not that I dont know (what went wrong), its that I could tell you a list of things that went wrong in the months leading up to going to Beijing, and then in Beijing as well. I still might have been able to succeed, but I didnt, she added. I think in any universe, in a parallel realm, if I were to be able to go back, it would probably happen that way again. Its just something that needed to happen in my career.

Starting preparations for the new season early, Shiffrin trained some downhill in the springtime, before focusing on super-G, GS and slalom during a camp in Chile in September.

It was a really productive camp and I feel in a good place, physically and with my skiing. Im anxious to get really started and put the training we have done and the work we have done to the test, she said.

Shiffrin starts the season on 74 World Cup wins, just eight short of Lindsey Vonns womens record and 12 shy of Ingemar Stenmarks overall mark.

Shiffrins tally includes seven speed victories four in super-G, three in downhill, including in the final speed race of last season that helped her clinch the overall title.

Her reinforced speed ambitions get impetus from her Austria-based equipment supplier.

After the departure of her longterm ski technician Johann Strobl in the offseason, Atomic has provided her with two successors: Austrians Robert Brgler and Lukas Rottinger, with the latter handling Shiffrins speed ski setup.

While Brgler previously worked with 2005 overall champion Benjamin Raich and, more recently, Austrian slalom specialists Marco Schwarz and Manuel Feller, Rottinger prepared equipment for Marcel Hirscher in the Austrian greats final season before retiring in 2019.

Having an extra ski technician commonly referred to as a serviceman gives Shiffrin and her team more flexibility in opting for speed training and selecting the super-G and downhill races she wants to compete in.

They have the time they need to do the work but also the time to get recovery and get back to the factory every couple of weeks to regrind the skis or pick up new skis. Its a huge process, Shiffrin said. Its important to be like quite good friends with your servicemen. Because in the end, they are the last person you see in the start gate, they are the person you are working with so closely every single training day, talking about developing equipment.

And then there is her boyfriend, Norwegian speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

Kilde won both the downhill and the super-G standings last season and could certainly be of additional help in Shiffrins speed campaign.

Kilde said the pair can share experiences when it comes to skiing and training but were also trying not to overdo it.

We are in our bubbles, we have our own routines, we kind of want to stay a little bit away from each other, too, Kilde said. We want to focus and not get into each others head, too. Its a fine balance.

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Fast forward: Mikaela Shiffrin adds more speed to her post-Olympic ski season - The Aspen Times

The assembled guests were eager to hear Peter Ueberroths words of wisdom, hoping hed extend a pleasant hour of reminiscing about the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics to tell stories about the vision hed conceived and executed to make the Games so profitable, inclusive and entertaining that theyve remained an unattainable standard for every Summer Olympics that has followed.

Standing in tribute as Ueberroth stood at a stage set up near the Coliseums Court of Honor where a plaque with his likeness was one twitch of cloth away from being unveiled to the world his friends, family, and admirers prepared to take their seats to savor his speech. Dont sit, the former chairman of the L.A. Olympic Organizing Committee cautioned them.

I just want to thank everybody, he said. You heard a lot of nice comments. Some of them were true, some of them were exaggerated, but the fact is in this society that we all live in, everybody that I can see and everybody behind us or in front of us, we can make a difference. And we can all make a difference. And God bless you all.

He spoke for less than a minute. At 85, hes still very much a man of action, not words, more inclined to look toward the possibilities of the future than waste time recounting what he did decades ago, even if those feats have become part of the fabric of life in Los Angeles and part of Olympic history.

If theres anyone entitled to give long-winded speeches and brag about the great things he has done, its Ueberroth. Successful businessman. Baseball commissioner. Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee. The man who saved the Olympics and thats no exaggeration.

I think thats a true statement, to be honest with you, said Mark Spitz, almost unnoticed in street clothes and without those nine Olympic swimming gold medals arrayed around his neck. He created a financial model theyre desperately trying to emulate.

The Olympic movement was faltering badly in the 1980s. The terrorist attack that killed 11 Israelis at Munich in 1972 was tragic and shocking. Montreal took on so much debt to stage the 1976 Summer Games that the bills lingered for three decades. Then-president Jimmy Carter ordered a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games in response to the Soviet Unions invasion of Afghanistan. Nobody but Tehran, Iran, and Los Angeles bid for the 1984 Games.

Ueberroth, supported by then-mayor Tom Bradley, created a private financing plan that relied on media rights and corporations. The Games were commercialized as never before, yes. They also turned a profit of about $225 million, some of which went to the U.S. Olympic Endowment for athletes use and some back to Los Angeles to whats now the LA84 Foundation, a nonprofit that helps give kids sports equipment, facilities and coaching.

Without Peter Ueberroth, without the 84 Games being as successful as they were, I believe its very likely that the Games could have sputtered and, like a match, gone out, said John Naber, a five-time Olympic swimming medalist. He added the fuel and the flame, and he increased the stakeholders.

A happily large group of former L.A. Olympic committee staffers attended the long-overdue ceremony at the Coliseum on Monday and posed for pictures with Ueberroth and his wife Ginny. Ueberroths plaque was placed across from Bradleys and near that of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, whos considered the father of the modern Olympics. Perfect placement. DeCoubertin brought the Games back to life. Ueberroth ensured theyd continue for generations.

A plaque is unveiled during an event to honor 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee President Peter V. Ueberroth at the Coliseum on Monday.

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

You gave us a new narrative for our city and for our world when we needed it most, said mayor Eric Garcetti, who joked that his second action as mayor after paving a street to prove his commitment to city services was to inquire about hosting the 2024 Summer Games. That bid wasnt successful, but L.A. will get a third turn as host in 2028.

This is a city not just of dreamers but of doers, Garcetti said. Its wonderful that you had a dream, Peter. But I think what we recognize is that you were able to bring a team together to enact that dream.

Ueberroths Games expanded opportunities for women, with events including the first womens Olympic marathon, and for disabled athletes. L.A. 84 was the first Games to include wheelchair racing exhibitions, a milestone moment that spurred the growth of the Paralympics.

The negative bias and stigmas that surrounded disabled people at that time were peeled back on that day, said Candace Cable, a bronze medalist in the womens 800-meter wheelchair race. Those few minutes in the worldwide broadcast took us from discarded, dehumanized disabled people out of the dark shadows of worthlessness and brought us into the bright light of truth, that we are all human beings with value and deserve access and inclusion to all that life has to offer. Using sport for inclusion and access messaging was perfection.

Short as his speech was, maybe Ueberroth said all he needed to say. I wanted to tell the truth. It takes a few hundred people to make a difference and they did, and I was one of them, he said.

Im just proud of the quality of people in this community and in this country so Im thrilled with that. The rest, thats in the past. And we live in the present and future. So, Im looking forward to the future.

That includes rooting for the success of the 2028 Olympics.

The people that are running those Games, theyre darned good. Theyre going to surprise the world how great those Games will be, he said. The Olympic movement is now pretty darned strong. The [2028] people are sensational and a lot of them have experience with our Games and so theyre going to be terrific.

He will be just short of 91 when the Olympics return to Los Angeles. But save him a seat.

Yeah, for sure, he said.

Just dont expect him to make a long speech.

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How Peter Ueberroth saved the Olympics, revolutionized the Games - Los Angeles Times

The Ironman Kona World Championships return after a three-year hiatus with a new format, live on Peacock on Thursday and Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.

The Ironman, held annually in Hawaii since 1978, and in Kailua-Kona since 1981, was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The world championships made a one-time-only stop in St. George, Utah, on May 7 to make up for the 2021 cancellation. The winners were Norways Kristian Blummenfelt, the Tokyo Olympic triathlon champion, and SwissDaniela Ryf, who bagged her fifth Ironman world title.

Both are entered in Kailua-Kona, where the races are now split between two days Thursday for the women and Saturday for the men.

An Ironman includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and a marathon totaling 140.6 miles of racing. It takes top triathletes eight hours to complete. Very arguably, it crowns the worlds fittest man and woman.

WATCH LIVE: Ironman Kona, Thursday, 12 p.m. ET STREAM LINK

Ryf, 35 and a 2008 and 2012 Olympian, can tie retired countrywoman Natascha Badmann for second place on the womens list at six Ironman world titles. Only Zimbabwean-turned-American Paula Newby-Fraser has more with eight.

The field also includes German Anne Haug, the 2019 Kona champ and only woman other than Ryf to win since 2015. Brit Lucy Charles-Barclay, the Kona runner-up in 2017, 2018 and 2019, returns after missing the St. George event due to a stress fracture in her hip.

Blummenfelt, 28 and in his Kona debut, will try to become the youngest male champion in Kona since German Normann Stadler in 2005. His top challengers include countryman Gustav Iden, the two-time reigning Half Ironman world champion, and German Patrick Lange, the 2017 and 2018 Ironman Kona winner.

Also racing Saturday is Dallas Clark, a retired All-Pro NFL tight end with the Indianapolis Colts, and Tony Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 champion who completed the 2011 Kona Ironman in 12 hours, 52 minutes, 40 seconds.

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LA 2028, Delta unveil first-of-its-kind emblems for Olympics, Paralympics - Home of the Olympic Channel

The Canadian province of Alberta is entertaining proposals to bring the Olympic Winter Games back to Calgary in the near future, a government official revealed Tuesday.

Rendering of upgraded McMahon Stadium with Olympic overlay for failed Calgary 2026 Olympic Winter Games bid

During a ceremony marking a CAD $17.5 million (USD $13 million) provincial investment in Canada Olympic Park a legacy of the Calgary 1988 Winter Games Albertas Minister of Culture Ron Orr revealed that a potential project to host the Games has emerged.

There is a small group of individuals who have put together some proposals for a future opportunity and we will certainly be looking at those as they come and as it becomes appropriate to talk about details, Orr said.

The City of Calgary has almost all of the amenities it would need for a Games at this stage and, of course, this kind of redevelopment would obviously add to that, Orr added, according to Calgary Herald.

Orr did not elaborate on the nature of the plans being put forward.

Calgary mounted a contentious campaign to host the 2026 edition of the Games that divided City Council and polarized public opinion in 2018. The bid was later quashed by 56.4 percent of voters in a hard fought city-wide plebiscite.

Now, four years later a Vancouver centered project led by four hosting First Nations and targeting 2030 has been put forward by the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC). British Columbia hopes to reprise the 2010 Games by building on its legacy. But Vancouver may have to face a public vote of its own should one Mayoral candidate, who has promised to let taxpayers have their say on the issue, win an October 15 municipal election.

Under International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules a national Olympic Committee must choose a single interested bidder to enter an ongoing dialogue process for any future Games. The COC selected Vancouver last year and has since been involved in discussions that could see the bid chosen for targeted dialogue for the 2030 Games Olympic-speak for shortlist by the IOC as early as December or as late as next Spring. The final election will take place next Fall.

Vancouvers rivals include Sapporo in Japan and Salt Lake City in the United States. Bids not successful for 2030 could end up back in the mix for 2034. Calgarys opportunity would be for the 2034 Games at the earliest but backers would have to wait for Vancouver to be withdrawn from dialogue before that becomes possible.

Certainly any plans emerging for a Calgary bid are at the very early stages and perhaps only an opportunistic tease to justify the Canada Olympic Park investment. Reportedly Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who was city councilor when the 2026 bid was in debate, was not aware of any new plans.

Neither was the COC, the only entity in Canada with the authority to officially launch a bid.

We have heard the reports of comments made yesterday [about a Calgary bid], but we are not aware of any other proposed bid, in Alberta or elsewhere in Canada, a COC spokesperson told GamesBids.com.

The COC is currently focused on supporting an Indigenous-led process to assess the feasibility of Canada hosting a 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games in British Columbia, working under the leadership of the Lilwat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

The next Winter Olympics will be held in Northern Italy by Milan-Cortina 2026.

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Alberta primed for new Calgary Winter Olympics bid amid focus on Vancouver in 2030 - GamesBids.com