(ATR) Thomas Bach says the IOC has "turned the page" on Olympic candidatures after trouble-hit bidding processes for the 2022 and 2024 Games.
The IOC was forced into a revamp of its Olympic bid procedures after a series of drop-outs tarnished the last two contests. Beijing beat Almaty to the 2022 Games, while it was a win-win for 2024 rivals Paris and Los Angeles; the French capital was awarded the Games after Tokyo while LA got 2028.
On Tuesday, the IOC announced that NOCs from seven countries on three continents had confirmed their interest in the 2026 Winter Olympics. There were no surprise packages.
Setting off on the dialogue phase of the IOC’s rebooted bidding process are Austria’s Graz, Calgary, Milan-Turin, Sapporo in Japan, Stockholm, Sion, and Erzurum in Turkey.
"I warmly welcome the NOCs’ and cities’ interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games," Bach said in a statement.
"The IOC has turned the page with regard to Olympic candidatures. Our goal is not just to have a record number of candidates, but ultimately it is to select the best city to stage the best Olympic Winter Games for the best athletes of the world."
The IOC talked up the impact of its Agenda 2020 reforms, but they’ve been superceded by the launch in February of a fresh package of reforms to revamp its trouble-hit Olympic bidding and delivery model. Labeled ‘The New Norm’, it’s a set of 118 reforms designed to slash Games delivery costs for candidate cities.
Under the new dialogue stage, the IOC will provide the 2026 bidding cities and their NOCs with greater support, technical advice, communications assistance and materials than ever before "to develop the best possible candidature".
The IOC said the new approach enables cities "to create the most feasible, legacy-enhancing Olympic Games possible".
The IOC will select the 2026 host city at the Session in Milan in September 2019.
In addition to the seven countries eyeing up 2026, the IOC today said other nations had come forward to express interest in the 2030 Games "and beyond", including the U.S. Olympic Committee, which is sizing up a push for the Winter Olympics once LA 2028 is out of the way. Salt Lake City, Denver and Reno-Tahoe are possible contenders.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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