Major news: WinSport to host X Games Calgary!

X Games is coming to WinSport.

The world will be watching.

WinSport was thrilled to be announced Monday as the site of X Games Calgary. This international spectacle, set for Feb. 19-21, 2027, will add another exciting chapter to the story of our iconic venue.

X Games Calgary will deliver incredible action on the hill, with the world’s best skiers and snowboarders pushing the limits in Big Air, Knuckle Huck, Slopestyle and Superpipe competition. Music fans won’t want to miss shows from Steve Aoki and Levity.

Tickets are already on sale at www.xgames.com.

“Today marks a historic moment for WinSport, for Calgary, and for Alberta,” said Jennifer Konopaki, WinSport’s Senior Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, at a press conference in our new Day Lodge. “This announcement is much more than an event. It is a recognition of Calgary’s reputation as a world-class winter sport destination and of WinSport’s ongoing commitment to excellence in athletic development, sport hosting and community engagement.

“For nearly four decades, these grounds have inspired athletes and visitors from around the world as a legacy site of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. WinSport has a proud history of hosting major international competitions and creating unforgettable experiences for fans and competitors alike. Today, we build on that legacy.”

X Games is entering an exciting new era with the launch of its inaugural MoonPay XGL Winter Season, which will feature both individual medals and a team component.

Calgary has been selected as one of three host communities for 2027. The schedule also includes Aspen in the U.S. and Ruka in Finland.

Jeremy Bloom, a two-time Olympian as a freestyle skier and now CEO of X Games, said it has long been a priority to bring an event to Canada. He described Calgary as the ideal fit thanks to its infrastructure and winter sport culture.

The theme of Calgary’s pitch, championed by volunteer bid lead Russell Reimer, was ‘Made For This.’

“This city is no stranger to huge iconic events, with the Olympic history,” Bloom said at Monday’s announcement. “I’m old enough to remember 1988. Because it was the first time my sport was in the Olympics — freestyle moguls skiing. Although I was only six, I remember it and it helped shape my Olympic aspirations and dreams.”

For the next generation, X Games Calgary will have a similar impact.

That’s something that Alisha Reynolds, President & CEO of Tourism Calgary, is especially excited about.

At Monday’s press conference, Reynolds reminisced about a moment last winter at the Snow Rodeo FIS World Cup at WinSport. That event remains on the schedule and will be held in the immediate lead-up to X Games Calgary.

“It was my seven-year-old that was standing here with me during Snow Rodeo as somebody did a wild move that I had never seen before and couldn’t name,” Reynolds said. “And he looked up at me as he’s holding his little hand in mine and he said, ‘Can I do that when I grow up?’ We were in the middle of negotiating this X Games Calgary agreement, and I said, ‘Yes, you can.’”

Canadian athletes have so far accounted for 366 medals in X Games competition, and they will feel the comforts of home as they compete at WinSport.

Many of them have trained extensively in our terrain park. Some are graduates of the National Sport School or, further back, developed their fundamentals in our Snow School programming or Freestyle camps.

“We would not be able to bid to bring an event like this for Calgary without a world-class venue that would deliver a world-class experience,” said Carson Ackroyd, Tourism Calgary’s Senior Vice President of Sales. “Tourism Calgary is incredibly fortunate to have WinSport as an ongoing partner for so many different events that we host in this city, and we certainly wouldn’t be here today without WinSport being right by our side all the way.”

Soon, WinSport will be back in the spotlight.

Right where we belong.

“This event aligns perfectly with our purpose — to inspire and activate human potential through the spirit of sport,” Konopaki said. “It strengthens our role as a leader in sport hosting, reinforces our relationship with the sport community, and helps ensure that our facilities continue to benefit athletes and families and citizens and participants for generations to come. As we look forward to February 2027, we are excited to welcome the world to WinSport, to Calgary and to Alberta.”