Americans are not among the four cities with whom the IOC has been discussing a possible bid for the ‘26 Winter Games, IOC officials said yesterday, the strongest sign yet the U.S. is content to wait until ‘30. Exploratory groups from Calgary, Stockholm, Sapporo, Japan, and Sion, Switzerland, have all begun talking details of a ’26 bid with the IOC prior to officially bidding, as they are permitted under a more flexible process adopted by the IOC in '17. Three U.S. cities -- Salt Lake City, Denver and Reno/Tahoe -- have also expressed an interest in hosting, but their conversations have been more general, IOC Olympic Games Exec Dir Christophe Dubi said. “In that process that is far more flexible, yes we’re maybe talking about 2026, but anyone who wants to speak with us and work with us on any future bid, or future Games, we’re happily doing so,” Dubi said. In order to proceed for '26, the USOC would have to nominate one of those three cities as the official national bid by March 31. To facilitate that, the USOC BOD would have to meet at least twice -- once to declare a nominating process and a second to make a choice. Currently, no board meetings are publicly scheduled before March 31 and the remaining time period includes the Olympics. In October, USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said he wanted to be included if the IOC considers awarding both ’26 and ’30 simultaneously, but he and others have acknowledged that ’30 is a more logical time for a full-throated U.S. bid. The IOC has not ruled out a joint award, but it is widely believed that option would only be taken if there were not multiple, credible bidders. Two other countries have also suggested they may bid, Austria and Norway (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).
ASSESSING THEIR OPTIONS: In Calgary, Meghan Potkins notes Mayor Naheed Nenshi departed for Pyeongchang yesterday to "head a delegation participating in an observer program for potential hosts" of the Winter Games. The program is "described as a continuation of the bid exploration process" for '26. Calgary Bid Dir Kyle Ripley said that the delegates will "assess the infrastructure used in the Pyeongchang Games, liaise with other orders of government and explore potential economic development opportunities." Potkins notes Calgary has "not yet made a decision on whether or not it will bid" to host in '26 (CALGARY HERALD, 2/6).
ASIA STILL IN THE RUNNING: IOC VP Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. today said that Asian cities considering a bid for the '26 Games "will not be excluded despite the continent hosting three consecutive Games." REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann notes Sapporo's chances of winning are "considered slim” with Pyeongchang hosting this year and Beijing staging the ‘22 Games. Tokyo also has been awarded the '20 Games. Unlike some other events, there is "no official rotation system by region for the Olympics" (REUTERS, 2/6).
