Calgarians will vote Nov. 13 on whether their city should host the 2026 Olympic Games. U of G’s Prof. Norm O’Reilly has commented on the bid process in national media.
O’Reilly participated in an expert panel hosted by Mary Moran, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, that was live-streamed on CTV News and picked up by the Calgary Herald, the National Post and CBC.
O’Reilly, assistant dean of executive programs and professor in U of G’s College of Business and Economics, discussed factors for citizens to consider beyond economics, such as developing volunteerism, community, sports and city branding. He said these factors may be quantified but not necessarily economically. He said voting to host the Olympics on economic factors alone is difficult for citizens, and that it comes down to voting on what makes most sense for the individual.
A leading scholar in the business of sports, he studies analytics, marketing, sponsorship, social media, sport finance, social marketing, tourism management and management education.
Contact:
Norm O’Reilly
noreilly@uoguelph.ca