Swiss bid to host Winter Olympics falls at first hurdle
Switzerland’s dream of hosting the 2030 Winter Olympics looks certain to be over, leaving the Alpine nation with the consolation of a shot at the 2038 Games.
On Friday there was great confidence in the Swiss camp: Swiss Olympic unanimously voted in favor of pursuing the Olympic plans for 2030.
The chances for a decentralised, nationwide and sustainable Games in accordance with the new concept of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were assessed as realistic.
But the next step, entering into the so-called “targeted dialogue” with the IOC, has now become an insurmountable hurdle.
Only the application from France will be pursued, the IOC confirmed on Wednesday. Switzerland and Sweden, which also pushed forward a candidacy, are therefore left empty-handed. The 2030 and 2034 Winter Games will be officially awarded next year immediately before the Summer Games in the French capital.
After the decision, France can no longer hold the games in seven years with the two regions Auverge-Rhône-Alpes and Provences-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. For the 2034 event, Salt Lake City is the only candidate to have been invited to a targeted dialogue. The 2002 games were already held in the winter sports resort in the US state of Utah.
However, the IOC does not want to completely bury Switzerland’s Olympic aspirations. It allows Switzerland to have a so-called “privileged dialogue” for the 2038 edition of the Olympics, a kind of preferential right, if it applies again.
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