Exploring Options for the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

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Today, four First Nations – the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations – announced they have jointly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler to begin the process of assessing the feasibility of hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games.

2018 Olympic Cauldron Re-Lit

Host Nations Exploratory Assembly for 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Here is additional information from the joint news release issued this afternoon:

The MOU creates a Host Nations Exploratory Assembly for the consideration of a 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid.

“The Líl̓wat Nation is pleased to partner with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the City of Vancouver to explore the first Indigenous led bid to host the 2030 Games,” says Chief Dean Nelson. “The Nations’ participation in the 2010 Games as a bid partner was ground-breaking, and with this announcement and our desire for this to be the first Indigenous led bid for an Olympic Games, we continue to lead the way in Indigenous participation in major events.”

“The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games brought our four nations together in a new and exciting way. Since then, we have continued to work together for the benefit of our communities,” says Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow. “By exploring the possibility of bringing the Games back to our territories, we have an opportunity to create a new Olympic legacy that is grounded in our unique Indigenous perspectives – an approach that should be considered for all future Games.” 

“In the spirit of Reconciliation, it is important for our Nations to understand the impact and potential benefits of hosting the 2030 Winter Games,” says Squamish Nation Councillor and Spokesperson, Wilson Williams. “Should a bid go forward, our Nations will lead and engage in all aspects of planning and hosting the Games. It is an opportunity to announce to the world that we are not invisible, we are still here and will always be here.”

“In 2010, we had the opportunity to host the world on the traditional territory of the Líl̓wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Those Games created a legacy for the four Host Nations,” says Tsleil-Waututh Nation Chief Jen Thomas. “From all that we learned from hosting the world in 2010, we know that along with the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler, we will be able to build off that legacy, making the 2030 Games the first Indigenous-led Olympic Games and the best Games yet.”

Vancouver and Whistler, as the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games co-host cities, have been invited by the Host Nations to participate in these exploratory discussions. The MOU has been formally endorsed by the elected councils of each of the partners and builds on the legacy of the 2010 Games.

The Assembly will work with the COC and CPC to assess the feasibility of 2030 Games concepts for the region that all partners will review. The feasibility analysis will focus on collective benefits and priorities, and on how the bidding process can set frameworks for government partnerships.

As one action addressing reconciliation in sport, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has called upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth Games to ensure that Indigenous Peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events (TRC Call to Action 91).

The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees issued a statement in reaction. Tricia Smith, Canadian Olympic Committee President, Four-time Olympian and Olympic silver medallist said:

“This announcement fully aligns with our process and our commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action and is an important first step towards exploring the feasibility of bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the region…

… As the franchise holders of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in Canada, we believe in implementing a process that implements the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 91, BC’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to ensure Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected and local indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participation in Olympic and Paralympic sporting events.”

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