Olympic Stadium: baseball, soccer and football possible as early as 2028

Dose
Crédit:

The Olympic Stadium in Montreal has been undergoing renovations for some time now. The latest major project, to replace the stadium’s roof, is a rather complicated one.

After all, the size of the stadium and the way it was built make for a complex project.

And today, Minister Caroline Proulx paid a visit to Jean-Charles Lajoie’s podcast, Jean-Charles en liberté. Obviously, the subject of the Grand Prix came up… but so did that of the Stade at the end of the show.

Interestingly, the Minister noted that the Stadium should be operational as early as 2028 (tests will take place in 2027, but the official opening is scheduled for 2028). And when it opens, the Stadium will be able to host baseball, soccer and football.

The Minister mentioned the idea of the Alouettes and “FC Montréal” playing there… and the subject of baseball was also raised.

In fact, JiC mentions at the start of his question that, had it not been for renovations to the Stadium, this is where the Tampa Bay Rays, whose stadium was demolished by a hurricane in the last few games, would have played their home games this year… to which the Minister replied this:

You’re well connected. – Caroline Proulx

So there’s reason to believe that serious negotiations have taken place to see Major League Baseball played in Montreal this year. That said, due to renovations, it didn’t happen… and the Rays are currently playing at the New York Yankees’ practice facility in Florida.

Does this mean that in 2028, the Rays could move to Montreal in a newly renovated Olympic Stadium? The question arises.

We’re still a long way from having all the answers on this one, but this little segment is very interesting and suggests that there are some interesting sports projects in the pipeline for Montreal in the coming years.

All that remains to be seen is whether the next government, which takes power in 2026, will have the same vision.

Overtime

– Something to watch.

– Roman Josi: tests revealed a medical condition. He seems confident it won’t affect the rest of his career.

– It’s about time, Leon.