Athletes upset Canada Olympic Park funds diverted from sliding track

Provincial government money set aside to renovate the sliding track at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park has been redirected into the park's commercial side to upgrade a public day lodge.

The sliding track that's been the home of national luge, bobsleigh and skeleton athletes since the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary was closed in 2019 awaiting a $25-million renovation.

The provincial government committed $10 million and the federal government another $7 million to the renovation costs. WinSport, which oversees the park, had to come up with the remaining $8 million.

COP combines public recreational facilities with high-performance training and competition spaces.

Alberta's government announced this week a commitment of $17.5 million — matched by the federal government — toward a renovation of the day lodge at the base of the ski slopes that will cost between $39 million and $43 million.

WinSport confirmed $10 million of the provincial funds came from money originally earmarked for the sliding track.

"With the time frame to use the $10 million from the Government of Alberta set to expire, there was no prospect of securing the funding and completing the project in the required time frame," WinSport president and CEO Barry Heck said Thursday in a statement.

"In an effort to keep the funds for capital projects at COP, we worked with the Government of Alberta to reallocate the $10 million to the day lodge project, WinSport's highest capital priority, instead of requiring us to return the funds."

Canadians have won 13 Olympic medals in sliding sports since 1988, including six gold. Justin Kripps piloted Canada to two-man bobsled gold in 2018 and four-man bronze this year in Beijing.

Alex Gough, who earned Canada's first Olympic