Still with a range of both winter and summer activities, Canada Olympic Park is now operated by
Winsport, which owns and operates Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, the Bill Warren Training Centre at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore Alberta, and the Beckie Scott High Performance Training Centre on Haig Glacier Alberta.
One of the more interesting bits of memorabilia from the '88 Winter Olympics is this large panel, much like a mural, containing graffiti created, not by Joe Public, but by the athletes who competed in those Olympics. There are dozens of graffiti in the mural, ostensibly each by a different athlete. Some show artistic talent while some are a bit more on the
untalented side. At the very least they are interesting, covering a vast range of concepts and ideas, illustrating the cultural, artistic and intellectual variation to be found among world class athletes.
Along with the Olympian artists, it would appear that
Kilroy made an appearance. If one looks closely at the top of the mural, just below the word "of" (as in "of the XV Olympic Winter Games"), they will spot a familiar face. This Kilroy, unfortunately, seems to be devoid of proboscis but is otherwise quite recognizable. The graffiti, and
Kilroy, can be found in one of the large dining areas in the Frank King Day Lodge.
In the centre of the park, at the bottom of the ski hill, is where the Frank King Day Lodge will be found. It was named for the man celebrated as "
the driving force behind the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary". A legacy of the 1988 Winter Olympics and still in use today, it has a large dining area, a full service kitchen, coffee bar, food court, lounge, medical facility, guest services, information counter, ride pass sales, washrooms, change rooms, showers, day lockers, retail store, rental & tech shop and probably more. Originally built to serve Olympic athletes, this is an extremely well appointed day lodge.
Formerly known as the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA), WinSport was founded in 1956 to bid on behalf of Calgary to host an Olympic Winter Games. CODA successfully won the bid from the International Olympic Committee on Sept. 30, 1981, for Calgary to become the host city for the XV Olympic Winter Games in 1988.
Following the Olympics in 1988 and benefitting from endowment funds left for the Games’ legacy, CODA has evolved into a new vision with the transition to WinSport. Through WinSport, the legacy of the 1988 Games is being maintained through allowing people of all ages to discover, develop and excel at sport.
From Winsport
Essentially all of the original facilities from the '88 Olympics remain, now bolstered by the addition of still more recreational facilities and summer activities, making it a year round facility. Scare yourself witless with a ride down the bobsleigh, piloted by a professional driver, for just $74.99 per person. ZIP down
North America’s Fastest Zipline. Take the Leap off the 8 storey Free Fall bungee tower. Putt like a Pro on the Mini Golf Course. Ride up the Scenic Chairlift and take in the stunning view of both the city skyline to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west. Go Mountain Biking on miles of trails. Ride the Skyline Luge, a summertime luge track built for the amateur, even for kids, to sail down the hill. OR, if you just miss winter, go skating at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport. In the winter, ski and snowboard, skate, slide down the hill in the tube park, play hockey or shinny.