International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials plan to discuss Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bids for 2030 and 2034 on the first day of Executive Board meetings planned November 29 in Paris.
According to a preliminary agenda released Tuesday, the Executive Board (EB) will listen to recommendations from the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games (FHC) at the end of the Wednesday session with a possible announcement following. It is expected that the EB will then select one or more candidates for the 2030 and 2034 Games to be included in the targeted dialogue phase of the bid process.
That list of ‘preferred candidates’ is designed to allow the IOC to conduct final due diligence on the projects before they appear on the final election ballot. An election for both 2030 and 2034 hosts could take place as early as next July ahead of the Paris 2024 Games or at an extraordinary Session on a later date if the French bid is involved.
The schedule was released the same day bids from France, Sweden and Switzerland for 2030 and Salt Lake City in the United States for 2034 held high-level virtual meetings with the FHC intended to cover key bid concepts, but also as a final opportunity for stakeholders to make pushes for inclusion in the so-called targeted dialogue phase of the bid process.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City and Mayor Karin Wanngård of Stockholm were confirmed to be in attendance among other important politicians and leaders.
It is possible other regions involved in ongoing dialogue with the IOC also attended the meetings and may be considered for targeted dialogue on November 29, but the IOC is not willing to disclose details in the early stages of the bid process.
Should Salt Lake City get elevated to targeted dialogue it will signal that the Utah capital will likely host the 2034 Games, only needing rubberstamping from the membership to make it official.
For 2030, Switzerland still requires a vote of approval from the nation’s sports parliament scheduled this Friday before it can be considered by the IOC next week. Sweden announced new critical support from Stockholm at Tuesday’s meeting and France is ready to move forward despite a focus on organizing next year’s Paris Games.
If the IOC only picks one 2030 bid, it would be groomed for election and considered the likely host of the Games. More than one would set up a race that could end up with a final competitive vote. But since all three require further development and possible approvals, it’s likely the IOC will choose at least two.
Milan-Cortina will host the next Winter Games in 2026 in Italy.
