By OSAMU HIURA/ Staff Writer
December 19, 2023 at 19:04 JST
Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto announces that the city would suspend its bid to host the Winter Olympics on Dec. 19. (Osamu Hiura)
SAPPORO--Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto announced on Dec. 19 that the city would suspend its bid to host the Winter Olympics as it will be unlikely to host the Games for the next 18 years.
Sapporo will also halt the so-called “continuous dialogue” that cities interested in hosting the Games hold with the International Olympic Committee.
The announcement comes as the IOC effectively selected France and Salt Lake City in the United States to host the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics.
The global body also decided to prioritize negotiations with Switzerland for the 2038 Winter Games.
These decisions effectively mean Sapporo would be able to bid only for the 2042 Winter Olympics at the earliest.
Sapporo and other relevant parties held a meeting in the northern city on Dec. 19.
The Japanese Olympic Committee proposed suspending the city's bid, saying, “We will work to restore trust in future bids, considering the impact on the Olympic movement in the country.”
Akimoto accepted the JOC's proposal.
After the meeting, the mayor said, “We have decided to suspend, rather than withdraw or scrap, in order to maintain our opportunities for future bids.”
Akimoto did not specify when Sapporo would resume bidding for the Games, saying, “It’s difficult to make a decision before the IOC determines its policy.”
The global sports body could change its policy on the bidding process based on climate change and other factors.
Sapporo, which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, first announced in 2014 its interest in hosting the Games again. Initially, the city aimed to host the 2026 Games, but it postponed the plan following the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake.
The city was considered a strong candidate to host the 2030 Games. But the bribery and bid-rigging scandals that surfaced in the aftermath of the Tokyo Summer Olympics, held in 2021, dampened the mood in Sapporo for another bid.
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