Hosting major sporting events ‘worthwhile’ for Canada: van Koeverden

The World Cup is just months away, and with soccer fans from around the world headed to Vancouver, the price tag for hosting remains in question.

Adam van Koeverden knows just how big 2026 is for sport across Canada.

While Toronto and Vancouver are readying to host some of the biggest soccer stars in the world as part of this summer’s FIFA World Cup, Canadian athletes are preparing for an array of massive events, said the country’s secretary of state for sport.

Hockey players, snowboarders and skiers are already in Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Other competitors are back home training for the Paralympics and Arctic Games.

“There are so many other sports events between now and FIFA,” van Koeverden said in a phone interview Saturday. ”2026, the first six months, is quite the decade of sport. So we’re calling it — 2026 is going to be Canada’s year of sport.”

World Cup preparations in Toronto and Vancouver continue, with the tournament now 131 days away.

Vancouver is set to host seven games during the expanded event, while Toronto will stage six, including Canada’s first group stage match on June 12.

Both cities have been busy renovating stadiums, creating plans to accommodate a massive influx of visitors and drawing up policies to ensure visitors and residents are safe.

Van Koeverden was in Vancouver this week to check out the progress. He spoke with local First Nations, toured B.C. Place and the Vancouver Convention Centre, which is set to host the FIFA Congress 2026 in April, and joined dozens of people for a run along the seawall.

“We’ve had so many great meetings,” he said.

Canada has a rich history of hosting major sporting events, van Koeverden said, and he hopes to see the Olympics return to the country one day.

“Canada’s the best host country in the world. I’m in one of the best host cities in Canada, in Vancouver. So I would certainly support it,” he said, noting that bids for the Games are led by the Canadian Olympic Committee, not the federal government.

Calgary opted against bidding for the 2026 Games after citizens voted down a plebiscite on the issue.

An Indigenous-led bid to hold the 2030 Olympics in Whistler and Vancouver fell apart when the provincial government declined its support.

Getting the Games back to Canada won’t be easy, van Koeverden said.

“I think it’s just a matter of aligning priorities between municipalities, provincial governments and federal governments and sporting authorities,” said the Olympic-champion kayaker.

“It’s hard. Hosting the Olympics is hard. Going to the Olympics is hard. Winning the Olympics is hard. That’s the whole point of the Olympics. So, it’s not an easy endeavour. I think it’s a worthwhile one, and Canada has proven that it pays off when we have ambition to host the world.”

Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary — all former Olympic hosts — already have infrastructure that could be used to host the Games, van Koeverden added.

Some of the facilities are no longer in use, such as the sliding track used at the Calgary Olympics in 1988, and others are aging and in need of upgrades.

The federal government has committed to an array of nation-building infrastructure, including sports infrastructure, van Koeverden said.

“I don’t think it’s contingent on an Olympic bid, but budget 2025 is all about building,” he said.

Van Koeverden went to four Olympics during his padding career and will soon head to Italy to cheer on Canada’s athletes at the Milan Cortina Games.

His favourite winter sport is cross-country skiing, which he called “the hardest endurance sport in the world,” but he’s also a big fan of speedskating, hockey, curling and snowboarding.

“I love it all. … I’m going to try to make a stop at almost every event," said the secretary of state for sport.

The 207-strong Canadian contingent is an interesting mix, he added, ranging in age from teenagers to athletes in their 40s, and from first-time competitors to those heading to their fifth Olympics.

“I love the Olympics. I love every bit of it. I love the anticipation. I love the opening ceremonies. I just love watching every single sport,” van Koeverden said. “I’m so excited for Team Canada.”

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2026.