IOC Eyes Official Launch of 2026 Candidature Process

(ATR) The International Olympic Committee says it is aiming to officially launch the candidature process for the 2026 Winter Games in a little over a year from now.

An IOC spokesperson tells Around the Rings that the exact dates and deadlines have not been confirmed but that the IOC wants to begin the process after the PyeongChang Winter Games are completed in late February 2018.

The IOC says it is already in contact with a number of NOCs and cities regarding possible bids for 2026 and that

updated documentation related to the invitation phase will be available to cities "as of mid-year."

There appears to be a strong list of potential candidates at this point.

Swiss Olympic is currently evaluating two rival regional bids for the 2026 Games and is expected to make a decision in early March. It is possible that one of the bids, centered in the canton of Graubunden in Eastern Switzerland, will be off the table before then. There is a public referendum scheduled for this Sunday that will determine the future of that bid. Graubunden voters in 2013 decided against a bid for the 2022 Winter Games.

The Western Swiss bid, centered in Sion, does not face a referendum. Sion has previously lost out in bids to host the 1976, 2002 and 2006 Winter Games. Switzerland has not hosted an Olympic Games since 1948 in St. Moritz.

The Swedish Olympic Committee revealed late last month that a feasibility study by the city of Stockholm shows that a bid "is both possible and desirable."

A decision by the Stockholm city council on whether to support a bid is expected "before the summer".

The Swedish NOC’s chief executive Peter Reinebo told ATRlast month that a Stockholm Olympic bid is better placed to succeed than the city's failed quest for the 2022 Games.

This time around, the city and national governments are run by the Social Democrats, who broadly support the bid plan.

Stockholm’s 2022 bid was derailed by a lack of political support and financial guarantees for a campaign led by the country’s sporting movement. Stockholm has never hosted a Winter Olympics though the city did host the 1912 Summer Games and was home to the equestrian events for the Melbourne Games in 1956 due to Australian quarantine regulations.

A feasibility study is currently ongoing for Innsbruck, Austria. Austrian Olympic Committee secretary general Peter Mennel told ATR last month that the study will be completed by the end of May and then the political discussion will begin.

Innsbruck is seeking to host the Winter Olympics for an unprecedented third time as the Games were held in the mountainous Austrian city in 1964 and 1976, in addition to the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012.

The potential for a 2026 bid for 1988 hosts Calgary will become clearer over the next few months.

The Calgary city council received an initial update from the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee on Jan. 23. Another update is now due in late April with the final report and recommendation scheduled for July. The Calgary City Council will then determine whether a bid is viable.

A webpage on the potential bid - www.ShouldCalgaryBid.com - went live last week, giving Calgary residents a chance to see how the project is coming along and allowing them to add their own comments on it.

The government of Sapporo, Japan, which hosted the 1972 Games. presented the Japanese Olympic Committee with a plan in November for an Olympic and Paralympic bid.

The Kyodo News Agency reports it is up to the JOC to decide whether to put forward a bid. Later this month, Sapporo will be hosting the Asian Winter Games for a third time.

The odds seem long for a third straight Asian city hosting the Olympic Winter Games, following PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022.

Written by Gerard Farek

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