STOCKHOLM: After a four-month feasibility study revealed there was interest in holding the Games in Stockholm, the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) plans to press forward with a proposal to host the Winter Olympics for the first time. Powerhouse of the winter sports, Sweden, has made eight unsuccessful bids for the Winter Games, including the 2026 event, which was chosen by Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo. The Summer Olympics were held in Stockholm in 1912.
Hans von Uthmann, president of the SOK said, "our preliminary study shows that Sweden has the opportunity, know-how, and will to organise the Winter Games in 2030." The International Olympic Committee originally planned to name a host for 2030 at its annual meeting this year in Mumbai, but it has delayed that announcement until the night before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris due to concerns about climate change.
The favourites, the Japanese city of Sapporo, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972, has shelved its application in the midst of a growing corruption scandal involving the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Despite expressing a preference for the 2034 Olympics due to the 2028 Summer Games being staged in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002, is still a viable contender.
Because there are fewer potential bidders, the IOC has stated that it may award the host cities for the Winter Games in 2030 and 2034 at the same time in order to stabilise the event. It has also stated that hosting rights may rotate "between a certain pool of cities and regions".
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