Vancouver 
Today, four prominent First Nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vancouver, and Whistler to explore the feasibility of hosting the 2030 Olympic Games.
The Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations together with the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler will begin the process of assessing the feasibility of hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The MOU – formally endorsed by the elected councils of each of the partners – creates a Host Nations Exploratory Assembly. The team will now work with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) along with other stakeholders to explore the impacts and benefits of hosting the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The MOU created the first-ever Indigenous-led bid for hosting the Olympics.
Vancouver and Whistler last hosted the Winter Games in 2010.
According to the news release, the First Nations invited Vancouver and Whistler to participate in these exploratory discussions and build on the legacy of the 2010 Games.
Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart announcing the potential bid said, “This historic partnership is the first step in exploring something unprecedented, creating the first-ever Indigenous-led Olympic and Paralympic bid. As a City of Reconciliation, Vancouver is honoured to be invited along with Whistler to support the four Host Nations in this process and demonstrate what true reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples can look like.”
The bid address an action point of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) report which called upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth Games to ensure that Indigenous Peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events.
2022 Winter Games will be held in Beijing and the 2026 Winter Games in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
