File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

2030 Winter Olympics

Sun Peaks tapped to join Vancouver’s 2030 Olympic bid: mayor

May 25, 2022 | 11:47 AM

SUN PEAKS, B.C. — The mayor of Sun Peaks has confirmed his community is working with the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) bid feasibility team to determine whether his resort municipality could host events as part of the 2030 Winter Games.

Al Raine spoke to CFJC Today in response to a story in Business in Vancouver (BIV), who obtained documentation of the Vancouver bid for the Games, which is being led by four host First Nations.

BIV reported that the COC sought a new venue in which to hold events that were hosted on Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver during the 2010 Games.

“As everyone will recall, the weather and snow conditions were a bit marginal there,” Raine told CFJC Today. “If they’re going to host the (2030) Games, they’d rather do those events in snow-safe, supportive weather conditions. Sun Peaks was selected after they reviewed several other sites in British Columbia.”

Details such as what facilities would need to be built at Sun Peaks are yet to be ironed out. It’s also not known what role — if any — nearby Kamloops would have to play.

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Kamloops councillor Mike O’Reilly said he was excited after reading the BIV article.

“Mayor and council have always been very supportive of sport in our community,” said O’Reilly. “Whether that’s the Slurpee Cup or KIBIHT or the Winter Olympics, we are Canada’s Tournament Capital and it’s an exciting prospect for Kamloops to be part of any form of the 2030 Winter Olympics.”

Raine calls the prospect of Sun Peaks being involved with an Olympic-scale event, “frightening.” He says the politics of international politics are complex.

“When we were approached, I kind of had to say to our community, ‘This is a long way from a fait accompli.’ There are twists and turns and politics involved — British Columbia politics, national politics, international sports politics are very, very difficult to predict.”

Details of the COC’s feasibility work are expected to be released in mid-June, ahead of a potential bid submission in fall. The International Olympic Committee will likely choose the host for the 2030 Games next spring.

Irrespective of the bid’s success, Raine says preliminary work on this process has already been rewarding.

“We’ve been supportive of [organizers’] efforts and we’re pleased to work alongside both the Canadian Olympic Committee and the four host First Nations — and also to get our local bands involved. We’re so pleased to see that the work is moving forward.”