Local business leaders posed some tough questions to the IOC and Calgary's bid committee Tuesday morning at a Q&A event hosted by the Calgary Chamber.
The panel was moderated by Calgary Chamber CEO Sandip Lalli.
Lalli said the IOC is hoping to communicate that they want these Games to be more modern and sustainable than previous iterations, and business leaders will have a number of tough questions for the organization.
"They want to get that message out to the potential host city communities, to say 'we are here, we are here to talk about any questions you have,' and to provide that clarity that's been lacking in previous Games," Lalli said.
"I think from the chamber's perspective, it's one of those things that, as the analysis goes on, the benefits will show themselves. It's hard to say today what are those benefits."
Calgary's bid corporation, Calgary 2026, was established in June with former national-team skier and real estate entrepreneur Scott Hutcheson as chair and hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser as vice chair.
The bid exploration committee has estimated the cost of hosting the 2026 Winter Games at $ 4.6 billion with games revenues to cover almost half the cost.
That figure, however, is under review. The price tag of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., was about $ 7.7 billion.
The deadline to bid for the 2026 Games is January. The host city will be announced in September 2019.
With files from Tiphanie Roquette
