They left in large numbers, soon there would be only two left. Only two candidates, not one more, to fight for the Winter Games in 2030. The same sadly reduced number as for the last two campaigns, in 2022 with Beijing and Almaty, then for 2026 with Milan-Cortina and Stockholm-Åre .

After Barcelona and the Pyrenees, reduced to dust by the political quarrels of the regions concerned, a new project leaves the race. Vancouver, British Columbia, will soon no longer be among the applications in " discussion » with the IOC. The Canadians have not yet officially thrown in the towel. But the mass is said.

The reason is the costs. Still and always. Lisa Beare, British Columbia's Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, announced Thursday, October 27, via a press release, that her government would no longer support the Vancouver 2030 project.

« After careful consideration, the province refuses to support a candidacy, she said. For over a year, the province has been engaged in evaluating British Columbia's potential bid to host the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. I know that the prospect of hosting these Games is exciting for athletes and sports fans. However, the province has the responsibility to weigh the benefits, costs and possible risks of the project. There are billions of dollars in direct costs, and potential warranty and indemnification liability risks on this project, which could compromise our government's ability to address the pressures residents are facing at this time."

The message is clear: British Columbia is withdrawing. It will not provide its support, an essential element to guarantee other equally decisive support, that of the federal government.

Lisa Baere’s press release continues: “ We have already made commitments to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Invictus Games in 2025. These world-class events will bring the international spotlight to British Columbia. They will provide economic benefits that will support the recovery of the province's tourism sector over the next decade and beyond"

With such a program, the Winter Olympics would be too many. The risk would be disproportionate. Too expensive, too big, despite the new standard and the relaxed rules of the IOC Agenda 2020+5.

Officially, the withdrawal of the British Columbia government does not bury Vancouver's candidacy. But it destroys his chances of going to the end, even in the face of less solid competition than at the start of the campaign.

Sapporo, long announced as a certain winner and always presented as the favorite, seems to be paying the price for the corruption scandal linked to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games. The mayor of the Japanese city recently canceled a visit to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, on moment seeming poorly chosen to attract the spotlight of the news.

Salt Lake City, the other bid still in the running, has never made a secret of its doubts about the commercial prospects of the Winter Games in 2030, just two years after Los Angeles 2028. The Americans are instead eyeing the 2034 edition, even if they assure that they are ready to host the event four years earlier in the event of a pressing request from the IOC.

For Vancouver 2030, and beyond for the candidacy campaign, the day of this Friday, October 28 promises to be decisive. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) will hold a press conference late morning local time from the capital of British Columbia to present to the media a “ update of the Olympic and Paralympic project. »

The day before, the body chaired by Tricia Smith explained via a press release that it had been “ informed of the British Columbia government's decision not to support the continuation of the current bid to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to Canada in 2030. » But she assures “ believe in the strengths of this Indigenous-led process to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games back to the region"

How will the IOC react, faced with a choice now reduced to two options? Hard to say. But the body could allow itself to be tempted once again by a double vote, Sapporo 2030 and Salt Lake City 2034. The scenario would have the merit of avoiding, for the 2034 edition, another sluggish candidacy campaign.