Sun Peaks, Hastings Park are some of the new venues proposed for a possible bid for the 2030 Winter Games.
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The Canadian Olympic Committee’s feasibility team said one of the strengths of British Columbia’s bid is its ability to reuse many of the facilities used in the 2010 Winter Games, which remain in good condition.
“We plan not to build any new competition venues. So we use what we have,” said Tim Gayda, who was also vice-president of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Games.
Although still in its infancy, costs have yet to be discussed and Vancouver, Whistler and the four Líl̓wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations are set to commit in a process of engaging with their communities to decide whether to move forward with the games — the concept plan provides an idea of where athletes and spectators would be hosted in 2030, should the Games be held a second time in British Columbia. Here is a list of proposed sites for 2030.
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What’s new:
Agrodome – curling
With the $40million Hillcrest Center out of commission – it’s now a popular community center with a gym, aquatics center and library – curling would move to the Agrodome in Hastings Park. The Agrodome, which hosted the Beatles in 1964, typically hosts minor hockey and figure skating events in the winter and other sporting events such as tennis, boxing and wrestling in the summer.
Hastings Park – Big Air, Paralympic Closing Ceremonies
The Agrodome is not the only facility used in Hastings Park. Olympic organizers are eyeing the entire park, touting it as a new centerpiece for the 2030 Games.
The Hastings Park race course will be the site of a Big Air Ramp that will be erected temporarily for freestyle skiing and big air snowboarding, while a new $65 million amphitheater will host evening medal ceremonies in Vancouver.
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The amphitheatre’s upgrade, approved by Vancouver City Council in 2021, provides a covered outdoor space that could host concerts and events and increase capacity from 7,000 to 9,340. It is expected to be completed in 2026.
Hastings Park is also set to host the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremonies, a 2030 Games merchandise supermarket and a ‘culture village’ offering family activities.
Sun Peaks – freestyle events, snowboard competitions including cross, slopestyle and moguls
After Cypress Mountain experienced mild conditions and a lack of snow in 2010, organizers are now proposing to move freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions to Sun Peaks Resort, north of Kamloops, about a four-hour drive of Vancouver.
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The feasibility team also considered other sites in Whistler and the interior, but settled on Sun Peaks, which ticked a whole bunch of boxes, including a great playground, a north-facing slope, and the availability for training sessions at the beginning and end of the season.
“It was one of those mountains where we could find anything we wanted,” Gayda said.
MST Lands – Athletes’ Village
In 2010 Olympic athletes were housed in shiny new towers in a new development on the south side of False Creek. The project was mired in controversy after the City of Vancouver took on nearly $700 million in debt to ensure the village would be completed on time. Today the units are occupied as condos and the Olympic Village is a thriving community. For 2030, the Athletes’ Village in Vancouver could be on the Jericho Lands or Heather Lands, two sites owned by the Joint Development Corporation of the Musequeam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
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What is the return:
Rogers Arena and UBC Thunderbird Stadium – ice hockey
Why waste a good thing? Ice hockey is set to return to Rogers Arena, then known as GM Place. Hockey would also be played at UBC Thunderbird Arena, which hosted several men’s and women’s games at the Olympics and sledge hockey at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
Richmond Oval – speed skating
The Richmond Olympic Oval is now used as a multi-sport center and fitness center, but below it retained the lines of the 400-meter track used for speed skating. The building was designed in such a way that it could be converted back to its original use: speed skating.
Whistler Sliding Center – bobsleigh, skeleton, luge
The Whistler Sliding Center is located on the slopes of Blackcomb Mountain. Since the turn of the stars at the 2010 Games, the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge facility has hosted athletic programs in those sports and has been a popular tourist attraction.
BC Place – Opening and Closing Ceremonies
The 2010 Winter Games began and ended with a bang at BC Place. For 2030, the stadium in downtown Vancouver could resume its role. It’s unclear if the Olympic Cauldron, now housed in Jack Poole Plaza outside the convention center, will make a return.
Vancouver Convention Center – media center
The Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center is expected to resume its role as the international broadcast center and main press center for the 2030 Games.
