Wanting To Repeat 20 Years Of History, Vancouver Explores The Possibility Of Hosting The 2030 Winter Olympics

BC Stadium, home to the official ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics (Twitter @TimdB)

JAKARTA - The city of Vancouver in western Canada and the municipality of Whistler, together with First Nations indigenous representatives, will explore the possibility of hosting the 2030 Winter Olympics.

Representatives from Vancouver, Whistler and First Nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the feasibility of the hosts' bid for what they describe as an indigenous-led Olympics.

There are more than 630 First Nation communities in Canada, representing more than 50 countries and 50 indigenous languages, making up five percent of the country's population of 38 million people.

As reported by Antara, Vancouver and Whistler previously held the 2010 Winter Olympics in which Canada topped the medal standings for the first time at either a Winter or Summer Olympics.

"This MOU is also an important first step to explore the possibility of bringing the Olympics and Paralympics back into the region," the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement.

"We believe this agreement provides the basis for transformative change for future events and collaborative work with Indigenous communities across Canada and the world."

An exploratory committee is a key step before a possible transition to a committee set up to make actual presentations to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The decision comes three years after residents of Calgary, host of the 1988 Winter Olympics, vehemently opposed the western Canadian city's plans to make a bid to host the 2026 Olympics.

Beijing is scheduled to host the 2022 Winter Olympics which will take place from February 4-20, while Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy has been selected to host the 2026 edition.