Quebec Premier Jean Charest, campaigning for re-election as Premier of the province of Quebec, said Tuesday Quebec City should concentrate on winning a Winter Olympic Games.
Canwest News Service reports Charest said Quebec City was world class and that he knows of no other city in the world that deserves the event more.
Quebec City lost its bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics and according to Canwest there is still strong support in the city for a new bid.
While admitting to taking a “build it and they will come approach”, Charest proposed that the region develop facilities of international winter sporting events so it is ready to play host to an Olympic Games. He said it was “just common sense” of his plans to prepare the city for an Olympic bid.
Charest announced commitments worth more than $124 million to the region, including $50 million toward completion of a $300 million hockey arena-cultural amphitheatre, and $9 million to enclose the Gaetan Boucher speed skating ring.
He also talked about upgrading the Le Massif ski centre so it could be a venue for World Cup ski events, reports Canwest.
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games are taking place 22 years after the last Canadian Games in Calgary in 1988. Montreal hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1976.
