Report outlines details of possible Swiss 2030 Winter Olympics bid
Swiss participants at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games on February 4, 2022.
Keystone / Roman Pilipey
The 2030 Winter Olympics could be held in sites dotted across Switzerland using existing sports infrastructure, according to a feasibility study for a Swiss candidacy seen by Swiss newspapers.
Swiss Olympic and the winter sports federations are currently carrying out preliminary work into the possibility of a bid.
“The sports umbrella organisation Swiss Olympic and the winter sports associations are pushing ahead with their plans for the 2030 Winter Olympics in Switzerland at high speed,” Tamedia newspapers reportedExternal link on Thursday.
According to their plans, the opening ceremony of the 2030 Winter Games would take place in Lausanne and the closing ceremony would be in Bern, the newspapers wrote.
The venues for the individual disciplines also seem to be largely fixed, they added.
“The plan is to hold the competitions from bobsleigh to alpine skiing wherever international championships in these disciplines are about to take place. In this way, existing or planned stadiums and infrastructures can be used. This saves money and protects the environment,” they said.
Ruth Wipfli-Steinegger, vice-president of Swiss Olympic, confirmed that possible sites had already been earmarked for 13 of the 14 sporting disciplines. These include Crans-Montana for Alpine skiing events, Davos for cross-country skiing and Zurich/Fribourg for ice hockey.
“The only thing missing is speed skating. The ongoing feasibility study will show how we deal with this. Outsourcing to another country is also possible,” she declared.
The Swiss Sports Parliament, Swiss Olympic’s top decisional body, will decide on whether to launch a Swiss bid on November 24. The International Olympic Committee is set to choose a candidate for the 2030 Winter Olympics in summer 2024.
Sports Minister Viola Amherd has said she is in favour of a Winter Olympic Games that are “sustainable, tailor-made for Switzerland and widely supported”.
Whether local voters can be convinced is another matter. In the past 35 years Switzerland has attempted to win the prestigious event eight times but has never succeeded.
In February 2017, voters in canton Graubünden rejected a proposal to host the Winter Olympics in 2026 – the second such bid to be turned down at the ballot box in four years.
Then in June 2018 voters in canton Valais said no to bidding for the 2026 Games. The bid was rejected in some of the largest ski areas in the canton, including Zermatt and Nendaz – the latter linked to the fashionable resort of Verbier. Crans-Montana and Saas-Fee were two mountain resorts where voters approved the bid.
The Alpine country has so far hosted the Winter Olympics on two occasions – in 1928 and 1948 – both times in St Moritz.
Popular Stories
More
Banking & Fintech
Luxury heir claims his CHF11 billion Hermès fortune has vanished
Swiss investigate four people linked to Russian oligarch
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is investigating four individuals linked to Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov.
Swiss government scrambles to deal with egg shortage
This content was published on
From September 1, more eggs intended for consumption may be imported into Switzerland. In allowing this, the government wants to secure the supply of eggs for consumers.
This content was published on
Agricultural research sees new development opportunities for Swiss sparkling wines in the face of declining wine consumption. In a survey, half of consumers expressed a willingness to pay more for local products than for foreign ones.
Locarno spotlights filmmakers from South America and Caribbean
This content was published on
The Open Doors section of the Locarno Film Festival has named the winners for 2024. The spotlight is on the South American and Caribbean regions.
Storm paralyses trains to popular Swiss tourist resort
This content was published on
The railway line between Zweilütschinen and Grindelwald in central Switzerland is expected to remain closed until Friday following heavy rains.
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
Sports minister backs Swiss Winter Olympics
This content was published on
Sports Minister Viola Amherd is in favour of a Winter Olympic Games that are “sustainable, tailor-made for Switzerland and widely supported”.
This content was published on
Switzerland’s failed Winter Olympics bid “Sion 2026” cost CHF6.3 million ($6.3 million), according to a Sunday newspaper.
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.