A good point for Sweden in the race for the Winter Games in 2030. A poll unveiled last week by the National Olympic Committee (SOK) reveals that seven out of ten Swedes now say they are in favour of an Olympic bid. Like Switzerland, Sweden entered the campaign late and seems determined not to make the same mistakes as its bid for the 2026 Winter Games, where weak popular support cost it victory over Italy’s Milan-Cortina. The National Olympic Committee is moving forward with caution and method. It has launched a vast feasibility study since the announcement of its possible bid on 8 February and is holding numerous meetings with representatives of the sports movement, the political world, the economy and civil society. The Swedish bid has not yet been finalised, particularly with regard to the choice of host cities, but it does not include any new construction. Earlier this month, the SOK appointed a new chairman, Hans von Uthmann. He is expected to oversee the project and present the first elements of it at the general assembly of the national Paralympic committee on 13 May, followed by the annual meeting of the Swedish Sports Confederation on 26-28 May. Despite nine attempts, Sweden has never hosted the Winter Olympics.
