The Japanese city of Sapporo has postponed its bid to host the Winter Olympics and Paralympics and will no longer aim to host the 2030 Games, according to Japanese media.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto reportedly cited a lack of public support stemming from a corruption scandal involving the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (but not the city of Sapporo).
Akimoto said, “The scandals that began late last year have led to a sense of distrust among the public.” According to Japan Times. “It was also difficult to gain understanding of the increased costs that would be borne by the people.”
Wednesday’s announcement comes 10 months after Sapporo’s 2030 bid suspended active promotion, and four months after initial reports that the bid would be canceled due to public opposition.
The Sapporo decision still leaves open some possibilities for the 2030 host, but the venue is expected to be decided by the IOC between now and the start of the 2024 Paris Games.
In June, sweden bid He said he had entered the “dialogue stage” with the IOC regarding the 2030 Games.
Announced by the Swedish Olympic Committee. The ongoing dialogue is expected to last just under six months, with targeted dialogue potentially reaching its final stage. Under recent future venue reforms, the IOC will be able to engage in targeted dialogue with those it deems to be potential ‘preferred venues’.
In July, a group of French officials expressed interest in bidding for the 2030 Olympics, but no formal bid announcement has yet been made.
Salt Lake City and Vancouver previously expressed some interest in the 2030 Games.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Salt Lake City prefer 2034 to 2030 (Los Angeles already hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics), but could intervene in 2030 if requested. .
Last October, the British Columbia government announced it would no longer support Vancouver’s bid, which suffered a major setback, but organizers have not said this decision is the end of the bid.
Last December, the IOC said it was no longer aiming to decide on a 2030 host city by this fall, as it announced a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the Winter Olympics. This includes the possibility of hosting the tournament in multiple host countries in sequence.
The venue has traditionally been chosen by a vote of IOC members seven years in advance of the Games, but recent reforms have given flexibility to the process and schedule.
For example, Paris and Los Angeles achieved a historic double win in 2017 for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics. The 2032 Summer Olympics was won by Brisbane, Australia in 2021 without the traditional bid race.
The next Winter Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in 2026.
