Swiss Government Signs Off on Sion 2026

(ATR) The Swiss government gives its backing to the Sion bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive branch, is contributing $1 billion to the project, which it says represents a "big opportunity for sport, the economy and society".

The Sion bid says the $1 billion will cover a large share of the organization, infrastructure, safety and security costs.

"Swiss Olympic welcomes this strong signal from the Federal Council. From the beginning of the process, we have been convinced of the seriousness and the strength of the Sion 2026 dossier," Jürg Stahl, President of Swiss Olympic and vice-chairman of the bid, said in a statement.

"This decision enables us to continue our work to make this Candidature even stronger and to convince the population. Our main focuses are henceforth the population of our country and the athletes from Switzerland and the rest of the world, who will all be central to this project."

Now that the Council has signed off on the plan, a year-long process to officially approve the bid will begin. Next on the agenda will be a three-month consultation period early next year before the Federal Council makes its final decision by May 2018. In the fall of 2018, the Swiss Parliament will weigh in for a vote. A referendum on holding the Games is also expected to be held in the main canton of Valais.

Any opposition, whether from a federal or local level, could still scupper the bid before October 2018, when the official international candidature phase begins. The IOC Session will confirm the candidates from which the host city will be chosen in October 2019.

The positive outcome for the Sion bid comes just three days after voters in Innsbruck and the surrounding Tyrol region voted against a bid for 2026.

Bobsleigh federation president and IOC member Ivo Ferriani tells Around the Rings he is happy to hear that the Sion project will be moving forward. He says he expects other bids to emerge in the months ahead.

Sion’s bid, much like Innsbruck’s, is based on the use of existing infrastructure and principles of sustainable development in line with the IOC’s Agenda 2020.

Of the 19 competition venues, 16 will have been built by 2020. The project includes plans for competitions to be held in four Swiss cantons already behind the bid as well as St. Moritz. Discussions are ongoing with the latter though residents in the region voted down a bid in February. St. Moritz hosted the 1928 and 1948 Winter Games, the only Swiss city to have hosted an Olympics.

The Sion Bid Committee also revealed a new slogan on Wednesday -- "Raviver la flamme" which translates to "Rekindle the flame".

"This slogan reflects our vision, which consists of motivating the population to welcome the Games, to position Swiss sport even better by demonstrating just how much an event like the Games can bring positive changes," said Stahl.

"Our country can be the one that puts Agenda 2020 into practice in a sustainable way and, in this way, help to write a key chapter of Olympic history."

Written by Gerard Farek

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