Who would've believed that ? After two successive editions in Asia – PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 – the Winter Games could offer themselves an extended stay in Europe. In Italy for 2026, it is a given. Then in another country on the continent in 2030, as the trend suggests.

Yasuhiro Yamashita (photo above, with Thomas Bach), the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), said Monday April 10: Sapporo's bid project for the Winter Games, put on hold at the end of last year, could soon leave again. But forgetting the 2030 edition to concentrate on the next one, scheduled for 2034.

Anything but a coincidence, the declaration of the former heavyweight judoka, Olympic champion in all categories at the Los Angeles Games in 1984, came the day after the municipal elections in Sapporo. The outgoing mayor, Katsuhiro Akimoto, emerged victorious with 56% of the vote. He won a third consecutive mandate against two opponents who were openly anti-Olympic Games. But his victory will not be enough to immediately relaunch a candidacy that the majority of public opinion no longer wants to hear about.

An exit poll reveals that more than half of Sapporo voters (53%) say they are opposed to the Olympic project. In the opposite camp, only 27% are in favor of a return of the Winter Games to Hokkaido prefecture, almost sixty years after the 1972 edition.

Katsuhiro Akimoto knows this. In his first victory speech, the mayor of Sapporo raised the Olympic question. But he did so cautiously. “ We will once again present to citizens our plan to host Sapporo’s own Games, he declared in front of his supporters. And we will continue the discussion. We would like to move forward, but we will need to obtain the support of citizens"

The discussion will continue. It's a certainty. But the words of Yasuhiro Yamashita open the door to a postponement of the project for the next edition. “ The election made it clear that many local residents are worried and anxious, recognized the president of the JOC, cited by Kyodo News. It is difficult to move forward with the initial plan without people understanding and accepting the project. We must do things carefully. Otherwise we won't be able to continue"

Yasuhiro Yamashita, also a member of the IOC, explained this on Monday April 10: discussions will very soon resume between the JOC and the city of Sapporo. But the option of postponing it to the 2034 edition will be studied. It could even quickly be deemed a priority.

In such a scenario, the IOC may have to review its plans. He would have to integrate a new candidate, Sapporo, into a race for which he already thought he had a sure winner, and ideal in his eyes: Salt Lake City. The battle between the Americans and the Japanese, scheduled for 2030, would be moved to 2034. But this time, the Utah project would become the favorite.

With Sapporo looking further ahead, the race for the Winter Games in 2030 could then be reduced to a strictly European affair. Sweden took position first, timidly but without hiding. Switzerland has also announced its intention to intensify dialogue with the IOC.

To date, there are no more declared applicants. Only two, the bare minimum. And there is nothing to suggest that their number could increase in the months to come, even in the event of a formal decision by Sapporo to pass its turn while waiting for the next part.