Bid Process for 2026 Could be Hammered Out in Lima

(ATR) The program for next week’s IOC Session in Lima doesn’t specifically mention the 2026 Winter Olympics.

But the issue is expected to be on the agenda at the IOC Executive Board meeting on Sept. 11-12.

The heavy lifting was done at the Extraordinary Session held in Lausanne in July. Changes to the bidding procedures, effective beginning with the 2026 Winter Games, were passed. But the process is still being shaped and the EB meeting could go a long way in hammering out the details.

At least one potential bid city is sending a delegation to Lima. Sion 2026, the Swiss entry, tells Around the Rings that it will be represented by Swiss Olympic CEO Roger Schnegg, bid president Jean-Philippe Rochat, Olympic champion and head of athletes program Didier Défago and 2026 project manager Judith Bongard.

Swiss Olympic President Jürg Stahl won’t be able to attend as he will be chairing debates in the Swiss Parliament in his capacity as President of the National Council.

Sion 2026 has the backing of Swiss Olympic but is currently waiting for the approval of the Swiss Federal Government to move forward. The initial results of the government review are expected no later than mid-October. Should the government sign off, there is still the possibility of a referendum in the canton of Valais in the fall of 2018.

It is expected that the Innsbruck 2026 bid will send a delegation to Lima as well, though a request by ATR for confirmation was not answered.

The Innsbruck bid’s current "Olympic Roadshow," designed to drum up support ahead of a regional referendum on Oct. 15, is taking a break between Sept. 7 and Sept. 18. The down time does correspond with next week’s IOC Session in Lima.

Unlike Sion and Innsbruck, Calgary’s city government is still trying to decide whether to support a bid. The Calgary Bid Exploration Committee is currently working to bridge a funding shortfall of almost $2 billion. The Calgary City Council does not want local taxpayers to be responsible for the funding gap. The CBEC did not respond to an ATR request on whether a delegation was going to Lima for the IOC Session.

Other cities contemplating a bid for 2026 include former Winter Olympic host cities Lillehammer and Sapporo along with Stockholm and Erzurum, Turkey.

The 2018 and 2022 Winter Games are in Asia, making Europe or North America a more likely spot for 2026.

Written by Gerard Farek

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