WinSport Day Lodge gets a $17.5 million boost from province for overdue renovations

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The Alberta government is investing $17.5 million for planned renovations to WinSport’s Frank King Day Lodge, supporting the first major upgrades to the facility since it opened prior to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

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The planned upgrades will extend the life of the 35-year-old structure, located at the bottom of the ski and snowboard hill in Canada Olympic Park, which was used as a media center during the 1988 Olympics. , is still used as a community center at COP, with hundreds of thousands of guests passing through annually. It is also home to WinSport offices and multiple retail and food services.

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“The proposed amendments will make it more accessible and inclusive for Albertans across the province. For the world of sport, this means that para-athletes will now also be able to have more meaningful access to this facility, and disabled visitors will now be able to access the guest services and other amenities housed in the building,” said the Culture Minister, Ron. Orr in an announcement Tuesday.

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WinSport President and CEO Barry Heck said the project will revitalize and expand the day lodge, focusing on improving accessibility and reducing the facility’s environmental impact by building to net-zero emission standards. The improvements will also help attract tourism and sporting events to the COP, Heck said.

“Although the building has gone through minor renovations over the years, it is now at the end of its useful life. And it’s time to change with the times with a focus on energy efficiency, accessibility, inclusion and simply a better guest experience,” said Heck.

“Providing improved and accessible facilities will make a huge difference in our ability to continue to attract these world-class, premier events to our province.”

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Paulina Promcharoenwatana is a freestyle skier in grade 12 at the COP-based National School of Sport; she is vying for a spot on Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Games. Promcharoenwatana has been participating in winter sports at the COP since she was four years old and said revitalizing day accommodation is essential for new skiers and snowboarders get the same opportunities and experiences she had growing up.

“For many people like me, day accommodation here at the COP is more than just a building,” he said. “Over the years it has been a place to keep warm between races, a place to spend time with my family after some fun little races and a place to meet my friends, fellow athletes and new people. Most of my best memories are here in this building and on the hill.”

WinSport estimates the final cost of the renovations to be between $39 million and $43 million, with construction to begin sometime in 2023. The provincial investment coincides with a $17.4 million federal contribution to the project that was announced earlier this year.

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Twitter: @miguelrdrguez