1988 Winter Olympics
The XV Olympic Winter Games were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Olympics were highly successful, financially, as they brought in million-dollar profits. The games have left a lasting impression on the host city and gave it a new identity from a cowtown to a large commercial sector of the country.
The 1988 Games were the last games where the Paralympics were not also held in the same city.
Highlights
- Two competitors, Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards in ski jumping and the Jamaican bobsledding team, entered their respective competitions with little experience and less chance of winning any medals. However, the determination of these novices to compete in spite of being outmatched by their competitors won the affection of the spectators which overshadowed the actual winners. They were hailed as demonstrating the true Olympic spirit as playing for the simple thrill of competition. The story of the bobsledding team was made into a film called Cool Runnings.
The Olympics in Canada and Calgary
1988 was the second time Canada had hosted the Olympics, this includes the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Subsequently, Canada won the bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics for Vancouver.
Calgary gained international stature from the Olympics, and left it, with world class facilities to host interntational meets and serve as a training facility. Ever mindful of the financial disaster of the 1976 Summer Olympics, Calgary was financially sucessful, erasing the spectre of a second Canadian games at a loss. Its use of the profits a fund for the future of Canada Olympic Park and Canadian athletes through CODA gives Calgary a lasting legacy and impact on the Canadian sports scene. It also provides for the ability to maintain and upgrade facilities in Calgary, Banff, and Lake Louise.
See also
