D – 1 for Sion's candidacy for the Winter Games in 2026. Wednesday October 11, the Swiss Federal Council must decide on its support for the Olympic project. A decision in principle which would be accompanied, in the event of a green light, by the assurance of financial guarantees provided by the Swiss government.

At the candidacy committee, the stage of October 11 is awaited with confidence and serenity. The Sion 2026 project is based on a very reasonable budget and a unifying concept. It could also be helped by a favorable geopolitical context, with competing candidacies still being hypothetical.

Lausanne lawyer Jean-Philippe Rochat (photo below), president of the Sion 2026 bid committee, answered questions from FrancsJeux.

FrancsJeux: The question of budget has become crucial for an Olympic bid since the adoption by the IOC of Agenda 2020. How much would the Winter Games in Sion in 2026 cost?

Jean-Philippe Rochat: Our budget was established at 1,9 billion Swiss francs (1,65 billion euros). The Swiss Confederation would pay 700 million. In the opinion of the IOC itself, our estimates are very comfortable. They could be further revised downwards. Historically, the Sion 2026 budget is the lowest of all Switzerland's Winter Games bids.

How did you arrive at such a low figure?

We are following the resolutions of Agenda 2020, with a very reduced number of site constructions. In the case of Zion 2026, it is even non-existent. In our budget, the part relating to infrastructure is limited to only 90 million Swiss francs, mainly devoted to renovations of existing equipment. Lausanne and Bern will have a new ice rink, independently of the Sion 2026 project. The Crans Montana resort is a candidate for the alpine ski world championships in 2023. We would have a jumping hill to build, but it would be temporary.

In your file, the speed skating oval is still in the conditional…

It's true. We have three options. The first would be to use a temporary facility in Aigle, where a company needs to build a hall. The second option would be to hold the speed skating events outdoors, but we would need to obtain the agreement of the International Skating Federation (ISU). In the event that neither of these two solutions is feasible, we would turn to abroad, the Netherlands or Germany, to relocate the tests.

The IOC has just revealed the new rules for the bidding process for the 2026 Winter Games, with a two-stage campaign, shortened by one year. Is this an advantage for the Swiss project?

Without a doubt. In Switzerland, the democratic process is cumbersome, significantly more complex than in other countries. The obstacles to applying are mainly national. We will not be finished before December 2018. A shorter campaign should not handicap us, on the contrary.

How are you going to lead a dual campaign, with the need to convince the population and elected officials in Switzerland, while already working on international lobbying?

The campaign will even be more than just double, because the messages are different from one canton to another. And our project concerns several cantons. We will have a unique structure, with an international department. Today, our priority remains the national campaign. But if we get through the process, we will have the strongest bid since 1948. We will be stronger than the rest.

Switzerland has four IOC members. Is this an advantage for the Sion 2026 project?

They can be torn, that’s the risk. Especially since two of them, René Fasel and Gian-Franco Kasper, are also presidents of an international federation, respectively ice hockey and skiing. But they are with us, they are by our side. I sense a positive attitude from them. They were already on board when Swiss Olympic created a “task force” on the 2026 Winter Games bid project. All four of them provide very good advice.

Switzerland has suffered numerous failures in recent decades in its efforts to organize the Winter Games. Why would this new attempt be the right one?

Thanks to Agenda 2020. It makes it possible to involve a greater number of cantons, therefore to spread the financial risk more widely. The 2020 Agenda will be what the applications make it. But it offers us the possibility of being the real agents of change.