U.S. Likely Not Bidding On ’26 Winter Games, Could Wait For ’30
Americans are not among the four cities with whom the International Olympic Committee has been discussing a possible bid for the 2026 Winter Games, IOC officials said Monday, the strongest sign yet the U.S. is content to wait until 2030.
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 2017. Three U.S. cities — Salt Lake City, Denver and Reno/Tahoe — also have expressed an interest in hosting, but their conversations have been more general, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director 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 2026, the U.S. Olympic Committee would have to nominate one of those three cities as the official national bid by March 31. To facilitate that, the USOC board of directors 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.
In October, USOC CEO Scott Blackmun said he wanted to be included if the IOC considers awarding both ’26 and ’30 simultaneously, like it did the 2024 and ’28 Summer Games last year, but he and others have acknowledged that 2030 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.
