Wooley, a supporter of the potential bid, was chosen following an inaugural meeting of the Olympic Oversight Subcommittee created last month.

The panel was created to ensure better engagement between the City Council and a potential Calgary 2026 Bid Committee, in the build-up to a plebiscite likely to be held later this year. 

It was immediately the subject of controversy after only one opponent of the Canadian project was chosen among its members.

Two more were then added to what is now a seven-strong body.

"We have to go out and do the hard work on the ground," Woolley said after the meeting, according to CBC.

"We've got council direction to work through this process, to look at what this deal is going to look like and to undertake engagement with Calgarians about what that might be.

"So this really is an exercise in grinding out the work."

They hope to be able to present a deal to the public by June.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is another member of the panel but did not put his name forward for chair.

"This group needs to give direction on negotiations on what a deal could look like so that we can bring a deal back to Council," said Nenshi. 

"And maybe it's the wrong thing. 

"Maybe it's not going to work, maybe we can't get the money to work.

"But let's open our minds to be creative, to be imaginative, to dream about what is possible."

A Council vote to scrap the bid entirely held last month failed by a 9-6 majority. 

The window for holding a plebiscite, expected to cost CAD$2 million (£1.2 million/$1.5 million/€1.3 million), will be between October and February 2019. 

This ballot, which will be a non-binding vote, will only move forward, however, should the Council agree to continue pursuing the Olympic bid.

They are due to hold another vote in June after studying more details about the potential financial implications of hosting the Winter Olympics for the first time since 1988. 

Sion in Switzerland, Graz in Austria, Sapporo in Japan, Erzurum in Turkey and Stockholm in Sweden are among the other contenders for the 2026 Winter Olympics, as well as a joint Italian bid from Milan, Turin and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Sion must also face a referendum in June.

A host city is due to be chosen by the International Olympic Committee in 2019.