Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

How much do you know about marmots? Ahead of Groundhog Day, take a quiz on the robust rodents.

Here’s more on that and the latest news and stories from Switzerland on Tuesday.

© Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud

In the news:  The Prix de Lausanne dance competition, a public sector corruption index, Swiss imports and exports, and the Swiss public’s biggest worry.

• Eighty-seven dancers (43 girls, 44 boys) from 18 countries are competing in the 52nd edition of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland at the Palais Beaulieu. The participants, aged 15-18, were selected from 425 applicants by video. Nadia Corboud, a student at the Danse Académie in Vevey, is the only Swiss dancer. Throughout the week candidates will be judged in dance class and individually on stage. The final, scheduled for Saturday, will bring together the 20 best.
• Switzerland ranks sixth in Transparency International’s 2023 Public Sector Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). It scored 82 out of 100 points and, according to the organisation, has made no progress in the fight against corruption. Shortcomings are particularly evident in the fight against money laundering, corruption in the private sector, the prosecution of companies and the protection of whistleblowers.
• Swiss exports fell in 2023 after two years of growth. Imports were also down. However, falling prices led to a better result in real terms. Watch exports increased sharply, reaching a new record of CHF26.7 billion, up 7.6%.
• The Swiss population’s biggest concern is rising healthcare costs and health insurance premiums, according to a survey. These are followed by higher housing costs, inflation, pension provision and energy prices.

Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

A wooden chalet covered in a thick layer of snow, the mountains in the background: the image chosen in France to illustrate the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps would have been perfect – had it not been taken in Switzerland.

It was the Swiss regional daily Le Nouvelliste, contacted by one of its readers, that revealed the blunder: “Specialists in the region and the Valais mountains played the game of spot-the-difference. They were unanimous: Val d’Hérens (pictured) was the unwitting star of this French promotional campaign,” wrote the newspaperExternal link.

The French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, which is bidding alongside the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to host the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps, used the image for its traditional January greetings campaign, under the slogan “The Olympic and Paralympic dream is even closer”.

When questioned, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region acknowledged “the unfortunate use of this image”, an “internal error” that is all the more “incomprehensible, given the beauty of the French Alps and our Southern Alps”. “It has naturally been withdrawn from all the region’s communications media since we became aware of it,” it added.

“While the error was not serious”, it did “sting a little” in Valais, according to Le Nouvelliste, which pointed out that in November the International Olympic Committee (IOC) pre-selected the sole French bid – to the detriment of the Swiss and Swedish bids.

“It’s a good choice, Val d’Hérens is a magnificent region!” said the local sports minister Frédéric Favre before getting a bit more serious. “Quite apart from this choice, the French Alps have landscapes that are just as suited to the image of the Olympic Games.”

The French Alps, which launched their bid in just a few months last summer, now have to go through several months of detailed evaluation of their dossier, from the map of sites to the expected legacy, not forgetting the environmental impact, financing and political support. The IOC is expected to take its final decision in July.

Keystone / David Maxwell

How much do you know about marmots? Ahead of Groundhog Day on Friday, take a quiz on the robust rodents.

Groundhog Day is observed in the United States and Canada every February 2. It comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog – a subgenus of marmot – emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den and winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early. Probably the best-known groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil (pictured) from the US state of Pennsylvania, who became famous worldwide thanks to the film Groundhog Day.

This doesn’t compare, of course, with scientific Swiss traditions of weather forecasting, such as the Böögg, but it’s all good fun. In Switzerland, marmots can be found on Alpine meadows and subalpine grasslands, including in the best protected wilderness area in the Alps, the Swiss National Park.

Ahead of Groundhog Day, Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, has created a five-question quizExternal link on marmots: which are generally bigger, beavers or marmots? Which hibernate for longer, marmots or bears? Which are more loners, moles of marmots? When were more marmots shot in Switzerland, today or in 1970? Where do more marmot species live, Europe or Asia?

I got four out of five. How about you? Give it a go! (The quiz is in German, but easy to understand.)