Geneva still hopes for 2022 Olympics

An exploratory Olympic bid committee from Geneva says that it now hopes to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022 rather than in 2018.

City officials complained on Monday about the lack of political support – in particular from the Swiss Olympic Association – as one of the reasons for delaying their bid, which was first announced a year ago.

Despite its disappointment, the committee is convinced that the idea of hosting the Games in 2022 is still feasible if Geneva has national backing.

But Swiss Olympic Association President Jörg Schild said that there was not enough time for a 2018 Geneva candidacy and that a Swiss bid was unlikely to meet Olympic selection conditions – a political or sporting return on investment.

In addition, no one outside Geneva, either in political circles or elsewhere, was “fired up” about a Swiss Winter Games bid, said Schild.

The Geneva cantonal government said on Monday that it would support a 2022 bid in Geneva.

Switzerland has hosted the Winter Olympics twice – in St Moritz in 1928 and 1948. But it has not always been successful: the city of Sion in canton Valais failed in its bids for the 1976, 2002 and 2006 Games.

Cities expected to compete for 2018 hosting rights include Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Munich, Germany. France will choose a city from Grenoble, Nice and Annecy.