Olympic Council of Asia Readies for Winter Games' Return to Sapporo

(ATR) The Asian Winter Games are returning to Sapporo for the third time, continuing the legacy of the 1972 Winter Olympics.

Forty-five years since the Olympics were held in the snowy metropolis located on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, the eighth edition of the Asian Winter Games will be contested Feb. 19-26, 2017.

Sapporo has hosted a three-day Chefs de Mission seminar this week, April 25-27. Team leaders, winter sports experts and stakeholders have convened at the Sapporo Prince Hotel to discuss final preparations for the Games.

Summing up the second day of presentations on April 26, the OCA’s Honorary Life Vice President, Mr. Wei Jizhong, said the Asian Winter Games are about more than just winter sport.

"The Asian Winter Games is not only a competition but also a friendly gathering of Asian youth athletes," Wei told the 46 delegates from 31 National Olympic Committees. "We will show to the world that world peace is possible and that world harmony is possible. We will prove it with our Games."

The upcoming Sapporo Winter Games are expected to attract 1,500 athletes and team officials from around 30 national Olympic committees. Sixty-four sets of medals will be up for grabs in five sports and 11 disciplines.

"Since our winter sports have great significance in the Asia region, we expect the largest athlete turnout," said Sapporo Mayor and President of SAWGOC, Katsuhiro Akimoto.

Many venues from 1972, notably the Mount Teine Ski Area, will once again be utilized. The opening ceremony will be staged at the all-weather Sapporo Dome, which was the venue for the first-ever indoor FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 2007 and a soccer match between England and Argentina during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Wei closed the formal part of the seminar on Tuesday afternoon as security, accreditation, ticketing, media services and commercial guidelines were among topics discussed.

"This Chefs de Mission meeting has gone very fast, ahead of schedule" Wei said. "This means everything is okay, everything is clear and well understood.

"We are waiting for the largest ever Asian Winter Games in Sapporo next year, so for every NOC the most important thing is participation."

A visit and tour of the speed skating venue in Obihiro is scheduled for the final day of the seminar on Wednesday.

The first and second editions of the Asian Winter Games also took place in Sapporo in 1986 and 1990. Japan tallied the most medals at both events, with China and South Korea, respectively second and third.

The Japanese winter sports city of 1.9 million people is famous for its long winters and abundant snowfall. On average, Sapporo receives 630-centimeters of snowfall per winter.

The popular resort destination offers six ski areas, six skating rinks and eight cross-country skiing courses.

Future Winter Olympics Bid for Sapporo?

Sapporo sports affairs director general Toshiya Ishikawa tells Around the Rings that a bid for the 2026 or 2030 Winter Olympics is being assessed.

"We have played a key role as a winter sports city in Asia and the world so the success of the 2017 Asian Winter Games will definitely lead to the next step – we would like to have the second Winter Olympic Games in future years," Ishikawa told ATR during last week’s SportAccord Convention in Lausanne.

The 1972 Olympic and soon to be three-time Asian Games host city will submit a master plan to Tsunekazu Takeda and the Japanese Olympic Committee by end of summer as another Winter Olympics bid is evaluated.

"The city of Sapporo has had discussions with Mr. Takeda about the grand design and concept of a future Winter Olympic Games, but which year should be the decision made by the Japanese NOC," Ishikawa said. "We have to prepare for a future bid whether it is for 2030 or further in the future."

Ishikawa noted that popular female ski jumper Sara Takashi and seven-time Olympic ski jumping legend Noriaki Kasai both desire to see Japan host another Winter Olympic Games.

Ishikawa advised that Sapporo has more than 67% public support for another bid to host the Winter Olympics.

"We think it’s quite important to keep the Olympic legacy alive," Ishikawa added. "We would definitely like to have the Winter Olympics again."

Canada, Switzerland and Sweden are possible candidates to bid for the 2026 Games, while Norway continues to assess political support following hosting a well-received Winter Youth Olympic Games in February.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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