An agreement has been reached for the canton of Valais to jointly sign the host city contract with the city and Swiss Olympic "should Sion be chosen to host the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games," according to Liam Morgan of INSIDE THE GAMES. This is part of a bid to "alleviate the costs of staging the event." The canton of Valais said that the IOC gave its backing to other local authorities being able to co-sign the host city contract, "usually done by the city which has been selected to host the Games in conjunction with the respective National Olympic Committee." The move, which marks a "significant step" in Sion formalizing a bid, will allow costs for the Winter Olympic Games to "spread throughout the Valais region and ensure the city itself is not left with a considerable financial burden." Sion's bid includes holding events across Valais, as well as in other cantons such as Bern, Freiburg and Obwalden (INSIDE THE GAMES, 5/8).
SAPPORO 2030: KYODO reported the city of Sapporo told the Japanese Olympic Committee it "wants to join the race" to host the 2030 Winter Olympics rather than the 2026 Games. Sources said that as "many JOC members deem the four-year delay would negatively affect the northern Japanese city's position" in the int'l race, the organization will "carefully consider" whether it is possible to change the plan. So far, six other potential bid teams have expressed an interest in hosting the 2026 Games (KYODO, 5/10).
