U of G Prof. Norm O’Reilly is in the news talking about why Calgarians voted against hosting the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in a Nov. 13 plebiscite.
O’Reilly, assistant dean of executive programs and a professor in U of G’s College of Business and Economics, along with Prof. David Finch from Mount Royal University, authored a Conversation Canada article on Nov. 15 about what led to the “no” vote.
The sports business experts have been researching the bid process in Calgary for months. They conducted 19 in-depth interviews with key individuals involved in the bid exploration process in order to learn more about strengths and weaknesses of that process and to offer guidance to other cities that might consider bidding for future Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In the report, the researchers identified 10 major areas where Calgary’s exploration model contributed to challenges in the bid process, including transparency of board appointments and weak political oversight. They provided 11 recommendations for cities considering future bids.
The final report is attached and also publicly available for download HERE.
Contact
Prof. Norm O’Reilly
noreilly@uoguelph.ca