(ATR) Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and prime minister Stefan Löfven will make their presence felt in Lausanne for the Stockholm Åre Winter Olympic bid.
The princess, heir apparent to Sweden’s current head of state King Carl XVI Gustaf, will be joined at the IOC Session by her husband Prince Daniel to support the bid’s final hours of lobbying to secure the 2026 Games.
King and Queen Silvia met at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The princess is a member of the International Paralympic Committee’s honorary board.
Bid CEO Richard Brisius said Princess Victoria’s passion for environmental sustainability and for providing access to sport for all "will be a tremendous asset to our bid".
On Thursday, the bid team also announced that Swedish PM Löfven was joining the bid effort in the Olympic capital.
four days before the IOC chooses between Stockholm and Milan-Cortina for the 2026 Games.
The bid team said Löfven "will personally convey his government’s unequivocal support for Stockholm Åre 2026’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sweden for the first time in history".
The PM will tell IOC members that the Olympic and Paralympic Games "will be a national project for Sweden, a nation with winter sports in its DNA".
Other high-profile figures in the Stockholm Åre 2026 delegation include the heads of government for each host region and municipality, including the mayors of Stockholm and Åre, as well as the mayor of Sigulda in Latvia, which will host sliding sports if the bid is successful.
Also lobbying for the bid in Lausanne is a decorated team of athletes with 20 Olympic and Paralympic medals between them, plus leaders of globally-recognised Swedish companies such as Volvo and Ericsson.
Brisius said Löfven’s decision to travel to Lausanne to represent Stockholm Åre 2026 "shows the depth of national support for our bid".
"From delivering an unforgettable winter wonderland experience for athletes and fans, to operating an innovative, climate-positive Games, the Swedish national government will be with us every step of the way, backed by our regions, municipalities and enthusiastic corporate community," he added.
The Swedish bid’s announcement Thursday comes a day after Milan-Cortina said that Italian PM Giuseppe Conte was heading to the IOC Session on Monday to pitch for their Olympic bid.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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