(ATR) The Swedish Olympic Committee's chief executive Peter Reinebo tells Around the Rings that Stockholm's potential bid to host the 2026 Winter Games is NOT dead.
This after the Social Democrats, who run the Stockholm city government but only as the largest of a four-party coalition, announced on Wednesday the Swedish capital was bowing out.
According to media reports, the Social Democrats say they are alone in supporting a bid and can’t make it work by themselves.
The Swedish NOC calls the decision "hasty and probably based on unclear facts".
In a statement to ATR, the Swedish NOC says its president Hans Vestberg "will tomorrow contact all the political parties in the Stockholm Town Hall to find a solution [on] how to progress with the process."
The other issue brought up by the Social Democrats in announcing their decision was the uncertainty over the cost of hosting a Winter Games.
The Swedish NOC says that it is a fact the IOC will be giving financial support to a future host city "on a unique high level".
"The economic support that Stockholm will get to organize the games will be around eight billion SEK ($909.8 million)," says Vestberg.
Vestberg adds that he has had meetings with IOC President Thomas Bach and "we feel that we are very well informed about the bid process."
Just last week, the Swedish NOC appointed Richard Brisius to lead the Stockholm campaign to land the 2026 Winter Olympics.
A feasibility study conducted by the city council revealed in January that a Stockholm Olympic bid "is both possible and desirable".
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.
So far, Switzerland is the only country that has officially entered the 2026 race with a bid centered in Sion. But former Winter Olympic host cities Innsbruck, Calgary, Lillehammer and Sapporo are all seriously considering a bid.
The 2026 bid cycle is expected to be opened by the IOC prior to the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang next February. A host for the 2026 Games will be decided at the 2019 IOC Session.
Homepage photo: Getty Images
Written by Gerard Farekwith reporting from Mark Bisson
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