BEST GUESS BASED ON TODAY’S FACTS ... COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT.

The city’s largest ski jump is obsolete, so a new one would be a bigticket expense.

The same goes for the muchballyhooed hockey arena that would logically become the new home of the Calgary Flames.

But for the most part, Calgary is looking at a renovation project.

Case in point: The Whistler Sliding Centre cost $105 million to build for the 2010 Games. The Calgary track requires an upgrade in the neighbourhood of $20-35 million.

The Olympic Oval lacks 360-degree seating. But under the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 2020, bid cities are encouraged to reuse and recycle even if facilities aren’t perfect.

“Who cares if it only sits 3,000 people?” Hanson asked. “It’s a great facility ... Is Agenda 2020 sincere? The people who talk about Agenda 2020, are they sincere? Do they really now recognize that you can’t drive the cost up at the expense of countries that put a whole lot of money into infrastructure that then decays the day after the event? Our history is not that. So you might like it. And you might not. And I can’t speak for the IOC.”

As it stands, the IOC might not have a whole lot of options. Last month, voters in the Swiss Alps dumped a proposed 2026 bid for St. Moritz and Davos. Switzerland is expected to move ahead with a bid for Sion, but a referendum in October 2018 could see the whole idea scrapped.

Other possible 2026 candidates include Innsbruck, Austria, and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Regardless, Calgary is a legitimate contender if not a favourite. Mayor Naheed Nenshi and city council are expected to vote this summer on whether to bid.

If the answer is yes and the Canadian Olympic Committee supports the proposal, Calgary’s name would be submitted as a candidate city some time this fall.

But in the final analysis, Canada as a whole has a decision to make based mainly on security costs. Play it safe or plow forward? Stay tuned.