2023-11-25 18:44:59
Three days after the hearing of the bidders by the Future Host Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Swiss project aimed at organizing the Winter Games by 2030 obtained the unanimous support of Parliament of Sport, reinforcing in fact a concept designed on the scale of the whole of Switzerland.
The Sports Parliament unanimously approves the Swiss project for the organization of the Winter Games by 2030, Friday November 24, 2023 in Ittigen, Switzerland (Credits – Swiss Olympic / Manuel Lopez)
Like its rivals – France and Sweden – Switzerland will be there next week, when the Future Host Commission will recommend one or more projects to the IOC Executive Commission in order to enable the latter to initiate the targeted dialogue phase which will lead, during 2024, to the designation of the Host of the 2030 Olympic Games.
Indeed, while the public authorities had already sided in favor of the Swiss project, it still had to obtain the approval of the Olympic Sports Federations gathered within the Swiss Olympic Sports Parliament.
Also, this Friday, November 24, 2023, the 27th Assembly of the said Parliament voted unanimously for the continuation of the discussions held so far with the Olympic institution according to the new procedure established to increase exchanges and instill a rethought dynamic. regarding the Games model.
As Swiss Olympic announced in a press release released at the end of the high mass of Swiss sport orchestrated in Ittigen, near Bern:
Thanks to the favorable decision taken by the delegates today, the Switzerland 203X project remains on the agenda.
This project provides for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to be organized in Switzerland in 2030 (or 2034) according to a new concept: decentralized Games, taking place in the four corners of the country, using existing infrastructure and preserving resources as much as possible.
The Sports Parliament approved the request of the Executive Council to begin the final phase of the dialogue with the IOC with a view to organizing such Winter Games and to allow both parties to carry out a thorough examination of the candidacy.
A sign of the importance of the decision adopted by the Sports Parliament and, moreover, of the unity observed at the level of the Olympic and Paralympic project, the Vice-President of the Federal Council, Viola Amherd, was present on site.
At the head of the Department of Defense, Population Protection and Sports (DDPS), the Advisor also welcomed the commitment of the country’s sports authorities in these terms:
This is a great opportunity for Switzerland and for the Olympic Movement..
Viola Amherd, Vice-President of the Federal Council, head of the Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports, in front of delegates of the Swiss Olympic Sports Parliament, Friday November 24, 2023 in Ittigen, Switzerland (Credits – Swiss Olympic / Manuel Lopez)
Now, the candidacy – which was examined and heard on Tuesday November 21 by the members of the IOC Future Host Commission – will have to wait at least until Wednesday November 29 to be decided on its fate.
On that date, the IOC Executive Commission will hear the recommendations made to it regarding the projects submitted for the organization of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games.
While three competitors have officially positioned themselves for the first deadline, the second is however favored by Salt Lake City (Utah, United States) which should be alone on the track to win the 2034 edition next year. Concerning 2030, the three concepts presented all offer the guarantee of hosting the Games in territories with strong knowledge and expertise in winter sports.
The French Alps are therefore proposing to host the Games between two regions – Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur – and within four clusters identified to host snow and ice competitions in line with the editions of Chamonix 1924, Grenoble 1968 and Albertville 1992.
Sweden for its part, despite eight past attempts, the last of which for 2026, is still waiting to be able to organize the first Winter Games in its history. A sort of anomaly when the country is one of the flagships of winter sports and has one of the finest records in this area. To receive the Olympic rings, Stockholm therefore chose to form an alliance with Are, Falun and Östersund to convince people of the merits of its project, also with the help of Latvia for the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events.
As for Switzerland, a reflection was carried out in spring 2023 to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a possible project, while reassessing the criteria for submitting an application likely to satisfy both institutional requirements and the assessment of a public opinion which has regularly risen against such an enterprise in the country. For the latter, hosting the Games would be a first – with the exception of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Lausanne 2020 – since the St-Moritz edition in 1948.
Jürg Stahl, President of Swiss Olympic, in front of delegates of the Swiss Olympic Sports Parliament, Friday November 24, 2023 in Ittigen, Switzerland (Credits – Swiss Olympic / Manuel Lopez)
In anticipation of the decisive stage of the coming week – and, if necessary, the selection of the candidacy to continue the dialogue with the IOC – a structure to this was created to manage the project for which an allocation of 2.1 million Swiss francs (2.17 million euros) was allocated by the Sports Parliament.
The association will be co-chaired by Ruth Wipfli Steinegger, Vice-President of Swiss Olympic, and Urs Lehmann, President of Swiss Ski.
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