Good news for the Swiss bid for the 2030 Winter Games: it already has strong political support, particularly at federal level, and can also count on a majority of favourable public opinion. A survey published at the end of last week in the Zurich daily Tages-Anzeiger showed that more than half of those questioned (55%) were in favour of an Olympic bid for 2030. Asked whether they supported the idea of hosting the Winter Games, 29% said “yes” and 26% “probably yes”. The survey was conducted between 19 and 20 September on a sample of 29,000 people. Support for the Games was particularly strong among the youngest age group (18-34), with two-thirds (66%) in favour. As a reminder, the last Swiss bid to host the Winter Games, put forward by Sion for the 2026 edition, was abandoned after being rejected by the residents of the canton of Valais. Invited to vote in a referendum in 2018, they voted 54% against the bid. For the 2030 Winter Games, Switzerland is proposing an unprecedented concept, a nationwide project with existing competition venues spread across the Swiss confederation (photo above).
