Sport in Calgary

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A rider competing in an event at the Calgary Stampede 2017 Calgary Stampede - Day Nine (14) (35904532706).jpg
A rider competing in an event at the Calgary Stampede

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is home to a deep-seated tradition of winter sports. Much of this stems from its location, with proximity to the Alberta Rocky Mountains and Banff National Park. After hosting the 1988 Winter Olympics, the city has also had winter sports and training facilities. Beyond winter sports, Calgary has several professional and amateur sports teams and is a major world pro rodeo center, with the city's Stampede Park holding the annual Calgary Stampede.

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Calgary boasts a variety of sports leagues in the summer and winter seasons. Australian football, basketball, cricket, field hockey, futsal, ice hockey, lacrosse, netball, soccer, sailing, volleyball, and ringette are all available in various locations throughout Calgary.

Sports facilities

Ski Jump and chairlift at Canada Olympic Park Summit in Calgary People in the snow (Canada Olympic Park, Calgary, February 2005).jpg
Ski Jump and chairlift at Canada Olympic Park Summit in Calgary

Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympic Games, and many of the Olympic facilities continue to function as major high-performance training facilities. Among the most notable of these are WinSport's Canada Olympic Park and the Olympic Oval.

Athletes also take advantage of the high altitude to improve their physical limits. With facilities that are considered to be world-class and proximity to the Canadian Rockies, Calgary attracts athletes from all over Canada and around the world for winter sports training.

The Scotiabank Saddledome is a multipurpose indoor arena located within Stampede Park 2020 Calgary Saddledome.jpg
The Scotiabank Saddledome is a multipurpose indoor arena located within Stampede Park

Calgary's multipurpose arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome was formerly known as the Olympic Saddledome. The Saddledome was the first modern arena in North America capable of accommodating an Olympic regulation-sized ice rink. Calgary's primary open-air stadium, McMahon Stadium, was the site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics and is currently the venue for Calgary's Canadian Football League team, the Calgary Stampeders. The stadium has a capacity of 35,400 and is the fifth largest in Canada.

The Olympic Oval is primarily a speed-skating arena that can also accommodate hockey and high-performance training. The rink's ice is world-renowned, and it brings some of the best speed skaters in the world to the facility for training and competition. The Oval has often been touted as having "the fastest ice on Earth" due to the fact that it is a climate-controlled facility and because of the effects of high altitude on the ice surface. As a result, many world records have been broken there. It was at this place where the likes of Catriona Le May Doan and Cindy Klassen trained for their Olympic and world stardom.

Golf is also a popular sport in Calgary. Major courses include Heritage Pointe, Priddis Greens, the Glencoe Golf and Country Club, and the Calgary Golf and Country Club (these have been ranked among the top 100 in Canada). Calgary is also within a short drive of many top rated mountain courses including Banff Springs, Kananaskis, and Stewart Creek.

Two Soccer domes, located in south-east and north-west Calgary allow indoor play.

Other sporting venues include:

Recreational and park facilities

Calgary is next to some of the most visited natural scenery in the world. Banff National Park is about 125 km northwest of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway. 30 km west of the city is the town of Bragg Creek. Another 45 km west of Bragg Creek is the Kananaskis Improvement District featuring hiking, horseback riding, and mountain-biking trails, camping sites, rock and ice climbing, and cross-country skiing. A Provincial shooting range for firearms is located on the highway to Kananaskis.

Many Calgarians and millions of tourists enjoy activities such as biking, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, mountain-boarding, camping, and fishing in these parks every year. The town of Banff hosts nearly five million visitors annually.

Notable sporting events

Calgary hosts a number of annual sporting events. This includes the CSIO Spruce Meadows 'Masters' Tournament, one of the richest show jumping events in the world, which is held annually in September at Spruce Meadows. The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo held at Stampede Park and includes a number of equestrian sporting events.

A competitor for the biathlon watches for the starting signal during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary SPECIALIST Fourth Class (SPC) Curtis Schreiner, New York Army National Guard, watches for the starting signal to begin the biathlon competition, part of the 1988 Winter Olympics - DPLA - 11a5fe8ea0b4714e86bcab4bfde6c770.jpeg
A competitor for the biathlon watches for the starting signal during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary
The 2009 Tim Hortons Brier was held at the Saddledome in Calgary 2009 Brier Saddledome.JPG
The 2009 Tim Hortons Brier was held at the Saddledome in Calgary

Calgary hosted the following major North American and International sporting events including:

Calgary also bid for the 1964, 1968, and the 1972 Winter Olympics

Sports

Cycling

BMX biker at a Calgary skate park A day on 2 wheels in Calgary may 20th 2017 (34785404475).jpg
BMX biker at a Calgary skate park

Both Calgary and the Canadian Rockies are destinations for cycling and mountain biking. Within Calgary, a large bike path network exists (nearly 600 km) as part of the city's transportation infrastructure. It is used extensively both for commuting to work and for recreation as it connects most of the city's parks. Large parks such as Fish Creek Provincial Park and Nose Hill Park are also major destinations for cyclers.

In the summer, Canada Olympic Park functions as a venue for both cross-country and downhill cycling. The Glenmore Velodrome is an outdoor track facility in the city. The Calgary BMX Association also operates a BMX racing track near Blackfoot Trail.

There is a general cycling advocacy group, Bike Calgary.

Ice hockey

Spectators watch a game between the Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings at the Saddledome Calgary Hitmen vs Brandon Wheat Kings (460983799).jpg
Spectators watch a game between the Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings at the Saddledome

Calgary has been home to the professional NHL team, the Calgary Flames since 1980, and their AHL affiliate team the Calgary Wranglers, who moved to Calgary in 2022. Calgary is also home to several junior hockey clubs, including a major junior team: the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL, and an entire junior "B" league, the Calgary Junior Hockey League. The city also plays host to Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament hockey tournament.

Professional wrestling

Calgary is also the home of the Hart wrestling family and the Hart House which previously housed "The Dungeon", a famous pro wrestling training camp founded by Stu Hart, the family patriarch, where he trained many wrestlers including all of his sons, most notably Bret and Owen Hart.

Sport teams

Major league sports teams

ClubLeagueVenueEstablishedChampionships
Calgary Stampeders CFL McMahon Stadium 19458 (1948, 1971, 1992,

1998, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018)

Calgary Flames NHL Scotiabank Saddledome 1980*1 (1989)

(*) Established as the Atlanta Flames in 1972.

Other professional sports teams

ClubLeagueVenueEstablishedChampionships
Calgary Wranglers AHL Scotiabank Saddledome 2022*0
Calgary Roughnecks NLL Scotiabank Saddledome 20013 (2004, 2009, 2019)
Cavalry FC CanPL ATCO Field 20181 (2024)
Calgary Surge CEBL Winsport Arena 2023**0
Calgary RATH NRL Winsport Arena20073 (2013, 2019, 2022)
Calgary Wild FC NSL McMahon Stadium 20250

(*) Established as the Maine Mariners in 1977.

(**) Established as the Guelph Nighthawks in 2013.

Amateur and junior clubs

ClubLeagueVenueEstablishedChampionships
Calgary Colts Canadian Junior Football League McMahon Stadium 19672
Calgary Canucks Alberta Junior Hockey League Henry Viney Arena19719
Calgary Speed Skating Association Speed Skating Canada Olympic Oval 199010
Calgary Hitmen Western Hockey League Scotiabank Saddledome 19952
Calgary Kangaroos United States Australian Football League Inland Athletic Park20020
Calgary Roller Derby Women's Flat Track Derby Association West Hillhurst Community Arena20060
Calgary Kookaburras Canada Women's Australian Football League Queen Elizabeth High School 20072
Calgary RATH National Ringette League Various20083
Prairie Wolf Pack Canadian Rugby Championship Calgary Rugby Park20091
Calgary Rage Western Women's Canadian Football League Shouldice Park2011*0
Calgary Foothills FC USL League Two Foothills Composite High School20141

(*) Established as the Calgary Rockies in 2009.

Defunct and former teams

ClubLeagueYears ActiveChampionships
Calgary Tigers Western Canada Hockey League 1920–19364
Calgary Cowboys World Hockey Association 1975–19770
Calgary Wranglers Western Hockey League 1977–19870
Calgary Mustangs Alberta Junior Hockey League 1978–20191
Calgary Boomers North American Soccer League 1980–19810
Calgary Cannons Pacific Coast League 1985–20020
Calgary Kickers Canadian Soccer League 1987–19891
Calgary 88s World Basketball League 1988–19920
Calgary Rad'z Roller Hockey International 1993–19940
Calgary Mavericks Rugby Canada Super League 1998–20101
Calgary Oval X-Treme National Women's Hockey League 2002–20095
Calgary Outlaws Canadian Baseball League 20031
Calgary Drillers American Basketball Association 2004–20050
Calgary Vipers North American League 2005–20110
Calgary United F.C. Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League 2007–20142
Calgary Inferno Canadian Women's Hockey League 2011-20192
Calgary Crush American Basketball Association 2012–20150

See also