The idea had been in the air for several months. Richard Brisius, the general director of Stockholm 2026, revealed it to FrancsJeux last February at the PyeongChang 2018 Games. It is now official: in the event of victory for the Swedish capital project in the race for the Winter Games in 2026, the luge, bobsleigh and skeleton events would take place in Latvia.

On Wednesday June 13, the Latvian government adopted a resolution authorizing the Stockholm 2026 team to include the Sigulda track, located in the Vidzeme region, in its candidacy file. The Swedish project is now located between two countries.

The reason is very pragmatic. Sweden does not currently have any bob, luge and skeleton track that meets Olympic standards. It could build one, or at least announce the construction if it wins the race for the Winter Games. “ The IOC and international bodies do not require it, explains Richard Brisius. Under these conditions, it seems more relevant to us to go abroad to use high-quality equipment that already exists.”. A decision very marked with the seal of Agenda 2020 and the New Standard. The IOC should appreciate it.

Located around fifty kilometers from Riga, the capital of Latvia, the Sigulda track is easily accessible from Sweden. It takes about an hour by bus to reach it from Riga. The Latvian capital is located an hour by plane from Stockholm. The journey can also be made by ferry. The track was built in 1986. Regularly used for luge, skeleton and 2-man bobsleigh competitions, it would require certain modifications to accommodate an Olympic 4-man bobsled event.

The Stockholm 2026 candidacy is always written in the conditional. It must obtain guarantees from the political authorities of the city and the country. A condition for submitting a file that she could have difficulty fulfilling before the next national elections in Sweden, scheduled for the beginning of September 2018.