Sapporo welcomes IOC to inspect Olympic venues ahead of 2030 Winter Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is scheduled to visit Sapporo, Japan later this month to inspect various venues in the city’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics.

The IOC’s visit aims to gather feedback for the members of the Future Host Commission about the conditions of the facilities in Hokkaido, which is Japan’s northern most island.

During the inspection, the members of the Future Host Commission will not be participating in bid discussions. It is exclusively a fact-finding visit to collect information about the planning progress and venue development.

The IOC inspection will be carried out in private alongside officials from the Japanese Olympic Committee. The visit is only expected to last a few days.

The inspection is also focused on gathering information about the already existing facilities, as the IOC is feeling the effects of the rising cost of hosting the Olympics.

In its bid document, Sapporo stated the events would be held at 13 different venues. The only venue that will not be toured is the Sapporo Dome, which is currently occupied with the J1 professional soccer season.

The Sapporo Dome has already been vetted by the IOC and would only conduct the opening and closing ceremonies of the winter games.

The IOC’s visit will focus on gathering feedback for the members of the Future Host Commission about the conditions of the facilities in Hokkaido.

The region is renowned for its ski facilities, especially Rusutsu and Niseko, which are praised by skiers and snowboarders worldwide as some of the best quality snow in the world.

The Niseko facility specifically will be toured as it is slated to host the alpine and downhill ski events. The island’s southwestern city of Obihiro will also be on the docket as it would host the speed skating competitions.

The current bid plan has bobsleigh and sledding being held in Nagano, which hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. The IOC is familiar with these venues and will not inspect the Nagano facilities on this trip.

In addition to Salt Lake City, Utah, which has already hosted the IOC in its proposed bid, Vancouver, Canada and Spain’s Aragon region have also expressed their interest in hosting the Winter Olympics in 2030.