As WinSport continues to seek funding for a new sliding track, Luge Canada has requested that an upcoming, world renowned event be moved from Calgary to Whistler.
The 2021 World Championships of International Luge Federation were awarded to Calgary in 2017 but uncertainty surrounding the timeline of the construction of a new track at WinSport had organizers looking for a viable alternative.
"We had to get confirmation from WinSport that the track will be open in 2021 and they aren't willing to do that at this point," explained Tim Farstad, executive director of Luge Canada. "We had to make the decision to move it to Whistler because we still want to have the luge championships in 2021 in Canada."
"We've told the international federation that we want to move it to Whistler. Now they have to decide in the congress in June that that is approved."
According to Farstad, the decision to request approval to relocate the event was not easy but had to be done to ensure sufficient time to organize the world championships in Whistler and secure funding. "The world championships, obviously, we wanted to have in Calgary. It's a great city and the legacy here is important for us. The last time we had a world's was in 2001 so it was time."
Approximately 500 people, including athletes and staff, were expected to descend on Calgary for the championships and Farstad says the expected economic benefit for the city was upwards of $1 million with consideration for accommodations and dining.
Farstad says Luge Canada athletes have their sport's longevity in Calgary at top of mind. "They're mostly concerned about the track. As long as the race is in Canada they're happy but they're most concerned that the (WinSport) track is going to be opening again and open for another 30 years."
In a statement to CTV, WinSport officials expressed their disappointment with the decision to slide the championships to a location other than Calgary.
"We are still continuing to look for funding sources for the track project … and it is still on pause, not stopped," said Dale Oviatt, director of communications with WinSport. "Given the construction time line and the fact that we don’t have funding in hand, we have informed the sport groups that the track won’t be operational next season."
"We are hopeful that we’ll find a funding solution to complete the construction to open for the 2020-21 season. Even when that is complete, it wouldn’t be feasible to host the worlds in 2021, due to the lead-up time required for such an important event, including the required homologation (the approval process before tracks are opened, re-opened). The priority is to host this event in Canada and while WinSport’s preference is to host it in Calgary, due to the aforementioned, Whistler is the next best option."
According to Farstad, Luge Canada's relocation request will be decided at the international federation's congress in June but the fact a change of venue application has been submitted allows other cities to bid to host the 2021 championships. Luge Canada will learn of any potential competitors by June 1.
