Swiss government launches attempt to secure 2038 Winter Olympics

Last year, Switzerland was rejected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which favoured France and the United States for the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games. In return, the IOC promised a "right of preference" for 2038, if Bern manages to refine its bid by 2027. Keystone-SDA

After failing to host the Winter Olympics in 2030 and 2034, Switzerland is trying again - this time for the 2038 Winter Games.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

On Friday the Federal Council announced that it is gearing up in an attempt to secure a future Swiss bid.

Last year, Switzerland was rejected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which favoured France and the United States for the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games. In return, the IOC promised a “right of preference” for 2038, if Bern manages to refine its bid by 2027.

+ Swiss bid to host Winter Olympics falls at first hurdle

The organisation of such an event will have a “positive impact” on society and the economy, said the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) in a press release on Friday.

The government has therefore set up an interdepartmental working group to accompany preparations for a future bid. The department of sport is responsible for planning and analysing the federal government’s financial contribution.

+ Dashed dreams: Swiss take stock of failed bid to host Winter Olympics

Swiss Olympic, the umbrella organisation for Swiss sports, will look into issues relating to the chosen Olympic sites. The role of the public authorities in supporting the Olympic Games also needs to be clarified.

Several Swiss attempts to host the Winter Olympics in recent times – such as a joint bid by St Moritz and Davos for 2022 and canton Valais for 2026 – have failed at the ballot box.

The last Winter Olympics were held in St Moritz in 1948.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

How we work

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to [e-mail].