IOC president expresses hopes for Swiss Olympic bid
Despite a recent survey showing low Swiss support for hosting the 2026 winter Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has expressed confidence in the bid. He was speaking on Monday from this year’s event in PyeongChang, South Korea.
“The debate is just beginning”, the IOC head told Swiss Public Television RTS, just one day after an opinion poll published in the Swiss media revealed that only 36% of respondents supported the so-called Sion 2026 campaign for the southern Swiss canton of Valais.
“It’s necessary to convince the Swiss that the Olympic Games can help a region, renew it, and allow it to welcome the best winter sport athletes in the world,” Bach enthused.
Despite the fact that the Swiss have a history of rejecting Olympic hosting nominations, Bach says he wants to believe that having the 2026 winter games in the alpine nation is still a possibility.
“It’s up to the Swiss to decide. I hope that the reforms made to the 2020 Olympic agenda show people that we want a feasible, sustainable event that makes use of existing or temporary infrastructures, and there Switzerland has a lot to offer.”
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
COP29: Swiss NGOs call for strong financial support
This content was published on
Ahead of COP29, Swiss NGOs call for wealthy nations to pay $1,000 billion a year to help other countries solve climate problems.
Real Swiss wages likely to rise in 2025, says UBS bank
This content was published on
Higher wages and falling inflation are likely to boost Swiss purchasing power, which will be dragged back by rising health premiums.
This content was published on
Switzerland has a new tectonic map at a scale of 1:500,000, containing updates to geometry, distribution and nomenclature of the tectonic units.
This content was published on
Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri, known for his artworks using leftover food with dirty cutlery and crockery, has passed away in Vienna at the age of 94.
Climate change tipped to alter Swiss avalanche patterns by 2100
This content was published on
Climate change is expected to result in fewer avalanches overall in Switzerland but to increase the danger of wet snow avalanches by 2100.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Sion 2026: an un-Olympic dream
This content was published on
Voters may have said no to Graubünden’s candidacy for the Winter Olympics 2026, but Switzerland could still be in the running to host the event.
Swiss IOC official calls Russian doping ruling ‘shocking’
This content was published on
The head of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) probe into doping at the 2014 Sochi Games is stunned by the recent CAS ruling.
This content was published on
The Winter Olympic Games have opened in PyeongChang. South Korea. Swiss athletes were cheered on in freezing temperatures.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.