HOMECOMING HEROES
Canadian speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen wears his Olympic gold and silver medals as he talks with Nathaniel Gavin-Raap, 8, after he and other Pyeongchang Winter Olympics athletes arrived back in Calgary on Monday to a hero’s welcome.
A crowd of cheering fans waving banners and Canadian flags welcomed Olympic athletes to Calgary Monday, as Team Canada members returned from Pyeongchang after a record-breaking medal haul for the country.
Dozens of supporters gathered at Calgary International Airport as a flight from Vancouver arrived in the late afternoon with a large group of Olympians.
Bobsleigh bronze medallist Kaillie Humphries, one of the born-and-raised Calgary athletes returning home, called the welcome heartwarming.
“Being able to come back to Calgary, to be able to share this with other Calgarians and with Canada, is truly special,” she said.
Humphries said if Calgary successfully bids on the 2026 Olympics, she will do “everything humanly possible to still be competing.”
“I’m a product of ’88. Because of the facilities, because of everything, I’m able to train, compete, grow, as a kid all the way up to this level,” she said.
“And I really want Canada to have that opportunity again for as many young Calgarians to come through the system as possible and create that next generation of Olympic champs.”
Other Calgary athletes, including luge medallists Alex Gough, Sam Edney and Justin Snith, praised the warm hometown reception.
“We knew we had a ton of support back home, but to see it … is really something special,” said Snith.
Bobsleigh gold medallist Justin Kripps said despite being at the tail end of a long travel day from South Korea, he “couldn’t think of a better way to get back to Canada.”
As for a potential 2026 bid, Kripps said he’d love to see Calgary host the Games.
“Hey, if it comes to Calgary, you might still see me racing there,” he said.
Canada set a national record by winning 29 medals in South Korea, more than any previous Winter Games.
Speedskater Ted-Jan Bloemen, who captured gold and silver medals, said his experience at the Olympics was a dream come true.
“The team has brought so much to me and it makes me really proud and really grateful to be a part of this team,” he said.
Among the crowd of fans applauding the successes of the team was Calgarian Louise Kryger, who was sporting Canadian colours, including red mittens.
She said she watched the Olympics closely, including her new favourite event: big air.
“That is wild and crazy stuff,” she said of the snowboarding competition.
“Of course, I like the skating and the hockey the best.”
Kryger said she’s also a fan of a potential Olympic Games in Calgary in 2026.
“I’m so excited about the Olympics being here,” she said. “I want them to come so bad.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi told reporters Monday that while everyone is excited about the Olympics right now, it’s one of the reasons why he didn’t want to do public engagement during the Games.
The Calgary Bid Exploration Committee has pegged the cost of holding the Games at $4.6 billion, with revenues covering about half that.
Nenshi says city council should have a firm idea of whether a bid will go ahead by the end of June, but Calgary must signal by the end of March if it wants to continue talks with the International Olympic Committee.