Quebec City mayor meets IOC president in Switzerland to discuss Olympics bid

Quebec City Mayor Rgis Labeaumesays many conditions would have to be met for his city to proceedwith a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

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Labeaumewill discuss some of those conditions when he meetsIOC president Thomas Bach today in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Lausanne is where the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee are located. The mayor said Bach invited him earlier this winter.He will also meet with officials from other sports organizations while he's there.

Although the trip and meeting are a step towardswhat could eventually be a bid,Labeaumeis quick to list conditions that would need to be met before thatbid becomesa reality.

Shared games?

He said the population of Quebec has to demonstrate its interest, and the Games would have to be modest.

Labeaumehas also expressed interest in sharing the gameswith another city, such as Lake Placid, Calgary or Vancouver.

The mayor referred to Agenda 2020, a major reform package brought in by Bach thatwas adopted by the IOC in late 2014. It included, among many initiatives,plans to encourage cheaper, more flexible bids to attract more host cities.

• IOC moves to add more sports, encourage more cities to bid

Labeaume said he wants to know how serious those proposalsare.

"Is the will really there?" he asked.

The mayor said the kind of Winter Games he imagines forQuebec City are along the lines of the eventheld in Lillehammer, Norwayin1994.

He also said he has the support of Premier Philippe Couillard.

"The prime minister told me, 'We want them,'" he said.