Voters in the Swiss Alps "rejected a second Olympic hosting bid planned for upscale mountain resorts St. Moritz and Davos." The canton of Graubuenden said that a "referendum on financing a candidacy for the 2026 Winter Games was rejected" by 60.1% of voters. Switzerland now has a second option centered on the town of Sion, which "could involve the IOC's home city, Lausanne." The Swiss Olympic board will meet next month to decide on "formally bidding in the 2026 contest" (AP, 2/12).
PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee President Lee Hee-beom said that athletes at the World Speed Skating Championships in South Korea have been "impressed by the Gangneung venue" which will host the Winter Olympics next year. Rinks at high altitudes are believed to be "better-suited for fast times" as there is less oxygen frozen into the ice, making it denser, but a "delighted" Lee said that athletes had "nothing but praise for the venue." Lee: "We have heard wonderful comments ... particularly on the quality of the ice, so that is a great testament to our venue team who have been working hard to get everything ready" (REUTERS, 2/12).
The Int'l Rowing Federation on Saturday "voted to make the number of events for men and women equal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, removing a lightweight event for men in the process." Coxless fours will be removed from the men's lightweight and instead added to the women's open weight, leaving each gender with seven events in which to compete. The latest decision "could result in changing of the association's development policy," with the removed men's lightweight event now "unlikely to be held at a trial race for the national teams in March" (KYODO, 2/11).
Norway is "expected to return to the top of the medals table for the first time in 16 years at the 2018 Winter Olympics," while host country South Korea is "set to tie" its record Gold Medal haul with six titles, sports data firm Gracenote projected. California-based Gracenote Sports put Germany second in its "Virtual Medal Table" for the Games, scheduled for Feb. 9-25 next year in PyeongChang, ahead of the U.S. in third (REUTERS, 2/11).
