IOC VP Dispenses Advice to Graz Bid -- 2026 Roundup

(ATR) IOC vice-president Juan Antonio Samaranch visits Austria to personally discuss the possible bid from Graz to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

According to the Austrian Olympic Committee (OOC), Samaranch traveled to both Graz and Vienna on Thursday for meetings with local politicians including Graz mayor Siegfried Nagl and Schladming mayor Jürgen Winter. Schladming would host some of the events should Graz win the 2026 bid.

Samaranch reiterated the IOC’s changes in bid policy as spelled out in the New Norm and Agenda 2020, and is quoted by the OOC as saying "I could tell the [Graz] city government that we as IOC are not there to demand things. Times have changed. We want smaller, affordable games."

He warned that the Graz bid should not build sports facilities if they are not needed, adding "the IOC will not ask you to spend unnecessary money, I can guarantee that!"

As for the chances that the Graz bid will be successful, Samaranch said "The budget still has to be drawn more precisely and the vision has to be sharpened."

There is also the question of a referendum. The Austrian Communist Party has been gathering signatures since January on a petition to force a referendum. A bid by Innsbruck to host in 2026 was shot down by voters in a referendum last October.

Samaranch says that if Graz and the surrounding region of Styria decide that they want a candidature, "then I would say: Austria has not had any Olympic Games for more than 40 years as a winter sports show country and the chances are very good."

Austria has not hosted an Olympics since the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck.

Bach is OK with a Third Straight Asian Winter Games

IOC President Thomas Bach may want a 2026 bid from Sapporo more than the city’s residents.

According to Kyodo News, Bach told reporters in Lausanne on Thursday that the IOC has no issues with a third straight Asian host for the Winter Games. Beijing is hosting in 2022 following on from PyeongChang earlier this year.

Bach’s comments appear to be an effort to keep Sapporo in the 2026 race.

Sapporo’s director general for sport Toshiya Ishikawa admitted to Around the Rings in February that convincing the IOC to award the Winter Olympics to a third straight Asian city would be a tough sell. He said the 1972 Winter Games host city was amenable to hosting in either 2026 or 2030.

Last month, ATR was told by a Sapporo official that opinion polls showed people thought it might be better to bid for the 2030 Games, leading to discussions between the city and the Japanese Olympic Committee about potentially pursuing 2030 rather than 2026.

Sapporo says it will conduct a survey of its own to gauge public interest in a 2026 bid.

Sapporo is considered by many as the IOC’s security blanket in the 2026 race should the potential bids in Europe and Calgary all fail to materialize.

Calgary faces a plebiscite, likely in November, while the Swiss bid from Sion is out of the running following a failed referendum on June 10. As mentioned, Graz could also face a referendum.

The remaining candidates are Stockholm, Sweden; Erzurum, Turkey and an Italian bid that could feature one or more cities among Cortina d"Ampezzo, Milan and Turin. The Italian National Olympic Committee is expected to make that decision on July 10.

Written by Gerard Farek

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