The deadline to submit bids for the 2026 Winter Olympics was Saturday, and we've got six bidders. This is the first Winter Olympic bid process since the disaster that was 2022, and it's the first using the reforms that were put in place after everyone withdrew from the 2022 race.
IOC President Thomas Bach has expressed his preference to return to a "more traditional" location after the back-to-back Asia trips. Most people took that as code for Europe or North America, which is where four of the six bids are from (and all four of those are traditional winter sports destinations). As of now, it looks like four of the five bids have full support, as well, avoiding the dreaded referendum.
Sion, Switzerland is the only bidder that appears headed to a referendum, which, should it happen, will almost certainly kill the bid. However, if Sion suffers the same fate as way too many recent Olympic bidders, an Italian replacement is ready to step in. Italy currently can't bid because the IOC Session where the vote takes place is supposed to be in Milan, but if Sion withdraws (which many expect), they'll move the Session to IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, allowing Italy to move in.
If Sion stays in the race, I think it'll be among the favorites. But, I'm assuming the referendum will do to the bid what referendums have done to so many others over the years. The good news is that Italy has identified two potential bid cities, so it's really a matter of whether Milan or Torino is brought forward as the replacement.
There are some other cities that have decided to wait until 2030, which is shaping up to be a competitive race in its own right. Lillehammer and Salt Lake City hosted arguably the two greatest Winter Olympics ever, and they both opted to sit out this race looking ahead to that one instead. Had Lillehammer entered, it would've been the odds-on favorite, just as Oslo was for 2022 until pulling out of the race (and pissing off the IOC beyond belief).
But, that's a conversation for 2023. The six cities that are in the running for 2026 are Stockholm; Calgary; Graz, Austria; Erzurum, Turkey and Sapporo, Japan (who evidently didn't get the Europe-North America memo), in addition to either Sion or, more likely, one of the Italian cities.
Let's start with Sapporo, which has virtually no chance of winning. Sapporo was the first Asian city to host the Winter Olympics in 1972 and hosted a very successful Asian Winter Games last year. I'm not saying Sapporo isn't capable of hosting the Winter Olympics again. On the contrary, I think Sapporo is very well-equipped to take another turn. But they would've been well advised to wait until 2030. They aren't going to put a third straight Winter Games in East Asia, and they aren't going back to Japan just six years after the Tokyo Summer Games.
The most intriguing bid, to me, is Erzurum. This was a late entry, but it has the full backing of the Turkish government. And it should. Because this Erzurum bid is solid. They hosted a successful Winter Universiade in 2011, which means many of the necessary facilities are already in place. Istanbul has bid for a number of Summer Games, but Turkey has never thrown its hat into the Winter ring before. Will the first time be the charm?
Graz stepped up as Austria's bid after two-time host Innsbruck didn't get the public support, but there are plenty of doubts about this one, too. There have been calls for a referendum, and the Austrian Minister of Sport isn't even sure the Austrian people even want to host the Winter Olympics. They also want to spread events all over in order to make use of existing venues (including some in Germany). I know that this is OK, even encouraged, but I just don't like the idea of holding events at the same Olympics in two different countries.
Either Italian bid would be strong. Torino, of course, hosted the Games in 2006, so there would be no questions about venues and sustainability. Milan, meanwhile, would host the ice events while the outdoor events would be held in the nearby Alpine towns that are already regular World Cup stops in the various winter sports. And, let's not forget, Torino and Milan both have highly successful and popular soccer teams whose stadiums could be used for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Calgary, the 1988 host, is also seeking its second Winter Games. Most of the venues from 1988 are still in use (most of them serve as Canadian Olympic Training Centers) and would only need a small upgrade. And, they're talking about building new facilities for the Flames and Stampeders, anyway.
Canada isn't just a "traditional" site, it's one of the top winter sports nations in the world right now, so that would obviously fit Bach's criteria. Another benefit is that Calgary is an NHL city, which would pretty much guarantee that NHL players would participate in the hockey tournament. Although, 2026 already has the makings of a busy year in Canadian sports. Edmonton is the likely host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and two of the World Cup venues would be in Canada (likely Montreal and Edmonton) should the United bid be selected. Three major events in one year is a lot.
My early favorite to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, though, is Stockholm. There are still some political hurdles to navigate, but, as long as Stockholm is in the race, it'll be a serious contender. It certainly fits both parts of the "traditional." Sweden has won at least two medals at every Winter Games (and six figure skating medals at Summer Olympics) and is eighth in the all-time Winter medal count. Yet, despite bidding seven times previously, the country has never hosted the Winter Games. That's just crazy, and it's time to change that.
Stockholm hosted the 1912 Summer Olympics and would become the second city to host both (after Beijing, which would make it back-to-back Winter Games in a previous Summer host city). Sure, there are some potential logistical problems (the alpine events would be three hours away, they might use a sliding track in Latvia). But the appeal of bringing the Winter Olympics back to Europe in a traditional winter sports nation could override those concerns. Of course, they need Stockholm to stay in the race for that to happen.
One downside is that a Stockholm Games in 2026 would pretty much rule out Lillehammer 2030. (Although, after two straight in East Asia, why not two straight in Scandinavia?) But I still think that, right now, Stockholm would have to be considered the early favorite, with Calgary not too far behind.
It's still 17 months until the election, though. A lot can change between now and then. It at least looks like we'll at least have an actual multi-city race, though. And the IOC needs that more than anything.
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