Residents of the Canadian city of Calgary voted Tuesday against the file submitted by the municipal council to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The preliminary results of the referendum showed that 56.4 percent voted against hosting the big sporting event, against 43.6 percent of them. The final results are due on Friday.
Until the city file is finally dropped, the city council must vote next week, amid expectations that it will respect the population's decision.
The reluctance of the population to support their city can be explained by the high cost of organizing the large sporting event, as well as the stalling of Alberta County in cooperation with the city of Calgary.
Calgary is located in southwestern Canada and is within the boundaries of Alberta and is the largest city.
Before Calgary, Switzerland's Sion, Turkish striker, Japan's Sapporo and Graz withdrew. Only Swedish capital Stockholm and the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina Dambidzu, who have pledged to host the Olympics, have left.
The bid will be submitted to the IOC in January and the host city will be announced in June.
