(ATR) The Austrian Olympic Committee has agreed to back a joint bid by Graz and Schladming for the 2026 Olympics – but the cities have yet to win the approval of the provincial government.
At a board meeting in Vienna, the Olympic committee unanimously decided to support the bid "in principle".
"This is an important first step. In order to be able to enter the preparatory phase with the IOC, a clear commitment of the Styrian provincial government to the feasibility study or the definitive application will be necessary," said ÖOC president Karl Stoss.
The Austrian Olympic Committee tells Around the Rings that detailed talks between the county and cities would now begin. Both city councils recently decided to pursue a joint Olympic bid.
The costs of mounting a bid and budget for staging the Games are among key discussion points in the negotiations.
Leaders from the ÖOC are also set to meet with the mayors of Graz and Schladming to plot a way forward.
No dates for the talks have been set. The IOC has a March 31 deadline for cities to officially enter the dialogue phase of the 2026 bidding process.
"It’s about talking to each other and agreeing how to proceed. It’s not so much about problems but really fixing all the things which we need to be a serious contender," the ÖOC spokesman told ATR.
The Austrian Olympic Committee is said to be positive but cautious about putting forward a 2026 bid.
"Before the letter of intent to the IOC there has to be common understanding and agreement on how to proceed," he said.
This is Austria’s second bid for the 2026 Winter Games after a failed referendum last October torpedoed an effort by Innsbruck to host the Olympics for a third time. Like the Innsbruck bid, the Graz-Schladming project wants to make use of existing venues throughout Austria and southern Germany.
If the Austrian Olympic Committee submits its letter to the IOC next week, the bid would then have until October to convince the Olympic governing body that it deserves to move on to the next phase of the process.
Five bid cities - Calgary, Sapporo, Sion, Stockholm and Turin - have so far registered their interest in bidding for the 2026 Olympics.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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