The International Olympic Committee has now invited Calgary to compete for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Calgary, Stockholm/Milan-Cortina and Italy, got the IOC's stamp of approval to bid for 2026 in a members vote Tuesday in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
According to Calgary 2026 board chair Scott Hutcheson, Calgary must first successfully sell a bid at home ahead of a Nov. 13 referendum before the city can start an international campaign.
After presenting a draft host plan to city council and the public on Sept. 11, the bid corporation, Calgary 2026, is negotiating financial agreements with the city, province and federal governments and trying to engage the public in its plan.
Coincidentally, Calgary beat out Swedish and Italian entries, Falun and Cortina, to host the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Calgary 2026's draft host plan estimated the cost of hosting at $5.2-billion and asks the three levels of government to contribute $3-billion.
— with files from The Canadian Press