Stockholm-Are 2026: Accommodations Review

(ATR) A dedicated Olympic Village at each of Stockholm-Åre 2026’s four venue clusters will guarantee proximity to competition venues for athletes.

Limited accommodations at venue clusters outside of Stockholm, in Åre and Falun, could present challenges for media, spectators and workforce, according to the IOC review of the Stockholm plan.

For media planning to only cover events at the eight competition venues in the greater Stockholm area, securing accommodations should not be a problem. The majority of guaranteed hotel rooms accounted for in the Stockholm-Åre bid are within 10 kilometers (six miles) of the capital city and near the Main Media Center, International Broadcast Center and sport venues.

Of the 25,500 guaranteed rooms (24,000 are required by the IOC), 20,700 are in the Stockholm environs. However, in the northernmost venue cluster of Åre, where alpine, freestyle skiing and snowboarding will be held, there are just 1,800 guaranteed rooms. In Falun, where ski jumping and Nordic combined take place, guaranteed rooms are limited to 1,900.

In terms of total existing hotel inventory, the number of rooms in Stockholm rises to 37,000; 4,300 in Åre and 2,400 in Falun.

In Åre and Falun nearly all star-rated hotel rooms would be needed for Games stakeholders, so spectators and workforce will be forced to rely on alternative accommodation. Fortunately, around the well-developed ski resort of Åre, there are a substantial number of privately-owned condominiums, apartments and residences that could be available to rent.

The spread of room inventory across the four clusters requires strategic operational planning. Due to the substantial distances between the venue clusters, certain stakeholders might require rooms in both Stockholm and Åre.

The ski resort of Åre is more than 600 kilometers north of the Stockholm and requires a 60-minute flight and 80-minute drive to arrive from the Swedish capital. Falun is 223 kilometers from Stockholm, a nearly three hour drive. The trip is about 30 minutes shorter by train.

At the bid’s fourth venue cluster, located 570 kilometers from Stockholm and across the Baltic Sea in Sigulda, Latvia, accommodations for media and spectators appears sufficient. Bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events will be contested at an existing sliding track that regularly hosts World Cup events. Between the Latvian capital and Sigulda, which is approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) east, there are 6,600 hotel rooms, 1,100 of which are guaranteed for Games use.

Transport Plans

The bid’s transport strategy relies predominantly on existing road networks and public transportation, with few upgrades or new infrastructure needed. The Games masterplan can leverage Stockholm’s superior transport system, ranked second best in the world. Stockholm’s city center can be reached via high-speed train from Arlanda Airport in less than 20 minutes. Additionally, two Metro line extensions are expected to be completed by 2025, further facilitating Games transport.

Eight of the 12 competition venues are located in Stockholm and are fully accessible by the city’s public transportation system. For athletes, the average travel time between the Stockholm Olympic Village and competitions venues is less than 30 minutes.

The accommodation and transport facts and figures were provided in the IOC Evaluation Commission’s report released on May 24. The 13-member evaluation team led by chair Octavian Morariu visited both the Swedish bid’s proposed venues, and those of opponent Milan-Cortina, in late March and early April.

The IOC membership will choose the 2026 Olympic Winter Games host city on June 24, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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