Province will not fund X Games in Calgary for 2020

It’s unlikely Calgary will host the X Games next year, says a city councillor, after a multimillion-dollar funding commitment made by the previous government was dropped in the first United Conservative Party budget.

Alberta’s NDP government announced a $13.5-million commitment over three years to the extreme sports festival shortly before the provincial election was called in the spring.

Considering the circumstances of that announcement, Justin Brattinga, spokesperson with Alberta’s Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism, said the province’s priority was getting Alberta’s fiscal situation back on track, and that will mean that pledge is no longer on the table.

“While we support putting Calgary on the map as an international sport and tourist destination, our current fiscal situation does not allow for the funding of X Games. However, we are willing to consider future requests,” he said.

The operating budget for the province’s trade and tourism ministry was cut dramatically from $349 million in 2018-19 to $286 million for 2019-20 with future budgetary targets of $277 million in 2020-21, $291 million in 2021-22 and $300 million by 2022-23.

Calgary secured exclusive rights to host the Winter X Games in March for the next three years, so long as the city secured corporate backers.

Through Tourism Calgary, the municipal government said it would invest $1.8 million per year from 2020 to 2022, totalling $5.4 million, to support the X Games alongside the millions backed by the province.

However, news the province won’t support the 2020 debut means the games might not make it to Calgary until 2021, at the earliest, if the province revisits its commitment.

“It’s definitely too late for 2020,” said X Games proponent Coun. Ward Sutherland. “I’m not sure we have the funds available.”

Sutherland said hosting the X Games is a lucrative opportunity for Calgary, making it a two-event city with Stampede during the summer and the X Games during the winter.

It’s estimated the four-day event, which features skiing and snowboarding competitions like big air, slopestyle and superpipe, would bring $75 million in annual economic activity and about 75,000 annual spectators.

Considering the potential return on investment, Sutherland said pushing it a year and getting it right is far more important than rushing the process. He hopes it eventually becomes a permanent event and is hopeful the Alberta government will financially back it in future years.

Previously, Mayor Naheed Nenshi told Postmedia he heard concerns about Calgary’s ability to secure a sponsor for the games.

“I know that that work continues,” he said to reporters in June. “I want to remind everyone that the X Games is a multi-year prospect. The hope is to start in 2020, but there was always the consideration that it might have to start in 2021.”

Nenshi’s office declined to comment Saturday and deferred questions to Tourism Calgary, which did not respond to request for comment.

X Games spokesperson Grace Coryell said they’re still hopeful the plans for the event will come to fruition.

“We are diligently working to bring an X Games event to Calgary and will share updates as soon as they become available,” she said in an email.