WinSport

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WinSport Canada logo WinSport Canada logo.png
WinSport Canada logo

The Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA), operating as WinSport, is a non-profit organization based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada whose mandate is to provide training and development to Canada's Olympic athletes, and to maintain the facilities built for the 1988 Winter Olympics. The organization was founded in 1956 to bring the Olympics to Calgary, succeeding in its fourth attempt. WinSport has been credited with dramatically improving Canada's performance at the Olympics, as medal totals have increased at each subsequent Winter Games held since 1988, to a peak of 26 in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Contents

History

CODA was formed in 1956 with the aim of bringing the Winter Olympic Games to Calgary. [1] [2] It bid for both the 1964 and 1968 games, losing to Innsbruck, Austria and Grenoble, France, respectively. Aided by Peter Lougheed, CODA made a third bid for the 1972 games. The effort appeared to be a sure winner before environmentalists protested Calgary's bid, arguing that the games would cause irreparable damage to Banff National Park. Calgary once again lost, finishing second to Sapporo, Japan. [3] CODA became dormant following the 1966 vote. [4]

In 1979, CODA was resurrected as Calgary began its fourth attempt, initiating a bid for the 1988 games. Led by chairman Frank King, and relying on thousands of volunteers, CODA spent four years attempting to woo support, attending every major sporting event it could to sell International Olympic Committee (IOC) members on Calgary. [4] Calgary faced strong bids from Falun–Åre, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the latter bidder pressuring the IOC to "punish" the Calgary bid for Canada's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. [5] Calgary nonetheless won the bid at a vote held in Baden-Baden, West Germany on September 30, 1981. [2]

CODA gave way to the Calgary Olympic Committee (Olympiques Calgary Olympics '88, or OCO '88), which organized the games themselves. The Calgary games generated a C$90 million profit, of which $70.5 million was created into an endowment fund for CODA to maintain and operate the Olympic facilities following the games. Today, that fund has grown to $185 million. [6] The Toronto Star challenged the claim of profitability in 1999 following Toronto's failed bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics, claiming that $461 million in government spending was not accounted for in the final figures. [7]

With the completion of the games, CODA rededicated itself to maintaining the facilities left in the legacy of the games, and in developing Canada's Olympic athletes. [2] CODA is credited with contributing to Canada's dramatic improvement at the Winter Olympics, as the nation has seen an increase in podium finishes in every games since Calgary, growing to 26 medals at the 2010 Winter Games from just five at Calgary. [8]

On January 23, 2009, CODA began operating as the Canadian Winter Sport Institute, or "WinSport", the first such institution in Canada. [9] [10]

Facilities

Canada Olympic Park is one of the most visible legacies of the 1988 games Canada olympic park summer 2005.jpeg
Canada Olympic Park is one of the most visible legacies of the 1988 games

WinSport maintains several facilities built for the 1988 games. Chief among them is Canada Olympic Park (COP). The primary facility of Canada's first Centre of Sport Excellence, COP still receives over one million visitors per year. [11] COP is also home to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. [12]

The Olympic Oval was the first covered speed skating venue in North America, and remains one of the fastest speed skating surfaces in the world. Over 150 world records have been set at the Oval. [13] The Oval continues to host international speed skating events. It also served as the home arena for the Calgary Inferno women's ice hockey team.

WinSport also runs the National Sport School in partnership with the Calgary Board of Education. Founded in 1994, the National Sport School is specifically designed for Olympic calibre students in grades nine through 12, allowing them to compete internationally without compromising their studies. 20 current or former students at the school represented Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. [14]

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Canada Olympic Park

Canada Olympic Park (COP), formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill, is a ski hill and multi-purpose training and competition facility located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, owned and operated by WinSport. It is currently used both for high performance athletic training and for recreational purposes by the general public. Canada Olympic Park was one of the venues for the 1988 Winter Olympics, being the primary venue for ski jumping, bobsleigh, and luge.

The National Sport School (NSS) is a public high school in Calgary, Alberta; which teaches grades 9 through 12. In partnership with Winsport Canada, the school was created to support student athletes with Olympic potential. Developmental and competitive athletes are able to train and travel internationally, while staying in school. It was founded in 1994 as the first national sport school in the country.

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Venues of the 1988 Winter Olympics

For the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a total of nine sports venues were used. Calgary tried twice to host the Winter Olympics in the 1960s without success before finally winning the 1988 Winter Games in 1981. Stampede Corral was built in 1950 while McMahon Stadium was built in 1960. When the National Hockey League (NHL) Flames franchise was relocated from Atlanta, Georgia in the United States during the summer of 1980, a new arena was needed. The Saddledome construction was underway in late 1981 when Calgary was awarded the 1988 Games. Completed in 1983, the Olympic Saddledome has played host to the Flames ever since, including three Stanley Cup Finals and the NHL All-Star Game in 1985. An innovation for the games was the first indoor long-track speed skating venue which has served as a model for future Olympics. The bobsleigh and luge track was the first combination track in North America and was noted for the Jamaican bobsleigh team crash during the four-man event. Both the Oval and the bobsleigh/luge track continue to host the World Championships in their respective sports since the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Bids for the 1988 Winter Olympics

The selection process for the 1988 Winter Olympics consisted of three bids, and saw Calgary, Alberta, Canada, be selected ahead of Falun, Sweden, and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The selection was made at the 84th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Baden-Baden, West Germany, on 30 September 1981.

Quebec City bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics

Quebec 2002 was an unsuccessful bid by Quebec City, Canada, and the Canadian Olympic Committee to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. This was the city's first time to bid. Canada had previously hosted the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta and would go on to successfully bid and host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Calgary 2026 was an unsuccessful bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics by the city of Calgary, Alberta and the Canadian Olympic Committee. Calgary previously hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. The bid was withdrawn after a local referendum in which 56.4% of Calgary voters rejected the bid.

References

  1. ↑ "Winsport 2017 Annual Report" (PDF). Winsport. p. 4. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "CODA – Our Story". Calgary Olympic Development Association. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  3. ↑ Cotton, Crosbie (1981-09-30). "Canada missed six prior bids". Calgary Herald. p. A19.
  4. 1 2 Cotton, Crosbie (1981-09-30). "Around the world, CODA has given its best shot". Calgary Herald. p. A19.
  5. ↑ Cotton, Crosbie (1981-09-30). "Worlds best head West". Calgary Herald. p. A1.
  6. ↑ Zimmerman, Kate. "Legacies of North American Winter Games, Volume two: Calgary 1988" (PDF). Vancouver Olympic Committee. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  7. ↑ Walkom, Thomas (1999-02-08). "The Olympic myth of Calgary: Making money ; Be prepared to spend, spend, spend is lesson for any host city". Toronto Star. p. 1. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  8. ↑ "British Columbians can take comfort from Calgary's real experience, former President and CEO of Calgary 88 says". Vancouver Olympic Committee. 2007-05-07. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  9. ↑ "Calgary Olympic Development Association Announces Transformation to Canadian Winter Sport Institute" (PDF). Canadian Winter Sport Institute. 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  10. ↑ "CODA changes its name". CTV News Calgary. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  11. ↑ "CODA – Canada Olympic Park". Calgary Olympic Development Association. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  12. ↑ "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame" . Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  13. ↑ "CODA – Olympic Oval". Calgary Olympic Development Association. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  14. ↑ "CODA – National Sport School". Calgary Olympic Development Association. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-10-25.

Further reading

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