DPA
Berlin
The hosts of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics can be named in a double allocation next year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided on Sunday.
The IOC agreement came in a vote at the IOC Session in Mumbai against the backdrop of climate change and fewer countries being able to stage future Winter Games.
The vote means that the IOC Winter Games Future Host commission now has the power to select a preferred candidate for both editions, to be confirmed by the full membership of the Olympic body.
The next IOC Session is scheduled for July 2024 in Paris ahead of the Olympics in the French capital.
So far there is interest from from France, Switzerland and Sweden for 2030, while 2002 hosts Salt Lake City are interested mainly in 2034, future host commission chairman Karl Stoss of Austria said.
Japan’s Sapporo has withdrawn from 2030 amid a widening bribery affair around the Tokyo 2020 Games but may return for 2034. Canada’s Vancouver quit over financial uncertainty.
The next Winter Games are 2026 in Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The 2030 host was originally to be elected at the Mumbai Session but that vote was pushed back to have more time to study the impact of climate change.
The IOC said on Friday two reports have shown that only 10 countries would be able to stage Winter Olympics by 2040, based on IOC requirements including average temperature and sustainability via existing venues. Stoss said that at the moment 13 countries were left, two in America, eight in Europe and five in Asia.
