Bad luck and poor timing have delayed Sapporo’s dreams to host a second Olympic Winter Games once again, and Hokkaido capital’s Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto says he will now refocus efforts on 2038.
The Mayor’s reaction comes after the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision this week to consider a double election of both 2030 and 2034 Winter Games hosts at its all-members Session next July, and shortlisting candidates for targeted dialogue as soon as November 30 when the Executive Board meets.
The IOC’s Future Host Commission named bids from France, Switzerland and Sweden as 2030 prospects while Salt Lake City was the only identified 2034 applicant.
Sapporo, once the frontrunner in the 2030 race, was not mentioned.
Last week Sapporo was forced to drop out of the running for the 2030 edition of the Winter Games after it was deemed too soon for Japan to bid again as the nation still reels from the fallout of the Tokyo 2020 corruption scandal that has led to multiple indictments. Instead Akimoto said the target would be set to 2034 to allow more time to pass.
The IOC’s decision this week took that time away.
“If our bid for the 2034 Games falls through, I would like to reconvene with the concerned parties for further discussions,” Akimoto told a city assembly meeting Wednesday according to Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun.
“The significance of bidding for the Olympics will remain unchanged,” the Mayor, who was reelected this year on a pro-Olympics platform, added.
Sapporo first applied to host the 2026 Winter Games, competing in a six city field that was reduced to two on the final ballot won by Italy’s Milan-Cortina over Sweden’s Stockholm Are. But the Japanese city withdrew after the September 2018 Hokkaido earthquake to instead focus efforts on recovery.
The city relaunched efforts for 2030 and had remained the overwhelming favorite to host as projects from Barcelona in Spain and Vancouver in Canada were forced to withdraw due to governmental issues. Then just weeks before the IOC was about to select one or more candidates for targeted dialogue leading to an election, the Tokyo 2020 bid rigging scandal hit global headlines. Public sentiment over the Olympics soured so much that IOC President Thomas Bach canceled a planned trip to Tokyo for the one year anniversary celebration of the Games.
Last December Sapporo paused efforts, vowing to return after public consultation when the timing was right.
Accusations against Tokyo 2020 only intensified with further indictments, and despite new measures by Sapporo including an updated management plan designed to avoid corruption – time ran out for 2030. Akimoto immediately identified 2034 as the next target, but only two days later the IOC ended that hope by approving the possible 2034 election next year.
“I felt that our bid had been within reach,” Akimoto said.
Akimoto said Sapporo will now remain in the IOC’s continuous dialogue for future Games. Currently, the Future Host Commission is exploring the possibility of a rotation among climate-capable hosts, in which Sapporo is eligible through 2050 according to studies.
“We need to examine what was lacking in our bidding activities,” Akimoto said.
“From now on, we will engage in dialogue, not just considering things based on the schedule.”
