Canadian Olympic funding is short and the solution being floated is hosting the most expensive sporting event on earth. The Canadian Olympic Committee made the ask public after Milan Cortina. The answer they proposed is a bid, which is either nation-building or the most expensive way to avoid the actual problem, depending on who you ask.

Every recent attempt at a Canadian hosting bid has fallen apart. Calgary voted it down 56 to 44. BC’s 2030 proposal with First Nations died when the provincial government said no. There’s a possible 2038 window if Switzerland passes. Adam van Koeverden, Secretary of State for Sport and four-time Olympic medalist including gold, is publicly urging caution on spending, which puts the person who most benefited from Olympic investment in the awkward position of being its most visible skeptic right now.

The athletes who won medals at Milan Cortina were mostly over 30 and called themselves the Madams. Corporate Canada is stepping up but not enough. The work needed to make any of this sustainable probably started yesterday.

Topics: Canadian Olympic funding, Canada 2038 Olympics bid, athlete funding, Olympic hosting costs, Adam van Koeverden

GUEST: Bob Addison | @‌riobobbo

Originally aired on2026-02-24