Switzerland has announced its intention to bid for the 2030 or 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, marking the third time the Alpine country has hosted the event.
The Swiss Olympic Association has pledged to host a “decentralised” Games using existing facilities across the country, with funding largely from the private sector.
The proposal has received unanimous support from the member federations of the country’s Olympic Committee at their general assembly, confirming a shared ambition to advance to the next stage of the bidding process with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), known as the “targeted dialogue” phase.
The IOC is set to decide on which countries will progress to the next stage of the process by the end of the month.
Switzerland will face competition from other destinations including Salt Lake City in the United States, Sweden, and France, all vying to host the 2030 Games.
Japan’s northern city of Sapporo recently withdrew its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics and is instead considering hosting the Games in 2034 or a later year.
Urs Lehmann, president of the Swiss Ski Association, has expressed Switzerland’s good fortune in already having the necessary infrastructure for the Games, including sporting venues, transport network, and accommodation.
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The International Olympic Committee approved a proposal last month to pursue a double allocation of two successive Winter Games in 2030 and 2034 due to concerns over the impact of climate change on snow sports and is expected to make the selection next year.
According to studies by the IOC’s future host commission for the Winter Games, only ten nations will be able to host the snow sports of the Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games by 2040.
Switzerland, having previously hosted the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz in 1928 and 1948, has struggled in recent years to gain support for its Olympic bids, which have been rejected in referendums on several occasions.
However, the Swiss Olympic has consulted with the cantons that are home to the facilities that could serve as venues and they have given their agreement in principle for the Games.
It is worth noting that Switzerland has never hosted the Summer Olympics, but it is home to the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, as well as several international sports governing bodies.
