The race for the 2030 Winter Games has just lost a new competitor. He had already been stationary for several months. But his chances of returning and joining the fight now seem very slim, if not non-existent.

According to information from the agency Kyodo News, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) has decided to support a bid by Sapporo for the Winter Games in 2034, or even beyond, provided that the capital of Hokkaido prefecture throws away its Olympic dreams for 2030.

The JOC's decision was taken on Tuesday June 13 during a meeting in Tokyo of its board of directors. It does not officially bury the Sapporo 2030 project. But the message is clear: the Japanese body no longer wants to support a bid for the Winter Games in 2030 in the current climate, weighed down by the corruption scandal linked to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Keiko Momii, a member of the board of directors of the national Olympic committee, explained it bluntly: “ The latest public survey shows that 60% of people oppose Sapporo's 2030 bid. We should give ourselves more time and try to regain public trust. This is why we decided to open the discussion to different options. »

At the top of the list, a postponement of the Sapporo 2030 project to the next edition, or even to the Winter Games in 2038. But the JOC let it be understood at the end of its meeting on Tuesday, June 13: the capital of the prefecture of Hokkaido may no longer be the only Japanese city eyeing the Olympic and Paralympic event. The door is now open for other files, in preparation or only in an embryonic state.

Paused last December for a “ indefinite period ", the Sapporo project had lost its favorite status since the first revelations about a corruption scandal at the Tokyo 2020 Games. But it still seemed to be breathing, especially after the re-election of the city's mayor, Katsuhiro Akimoto, one of the most strong allies of the candidacy.

The announcement from the Japanese Olympic Committee today forces it to review its calendar. Impossible, in fact, for an Olympic candidacy to continue the dialogue with the IOC without the approval and support of its national Olympic committee.

With Sapporo now out of the race, the battle for the 2030 Winter Games seems more uncertain than ever. Certainly, the IOC claims to be in discussions with half a dozen cities or regions. But the enthusiasm remains very discreet. And the names of potential applicants are slow to emerge.

In the absence of Sapporo, Salt Lake City could have already won. The capital of Utah is the last survivor of an early campaign deserted by the Canadians of Vancouver and the Spaniards of Barcelona and the Pyrenees. But the Americans have never hidden their preference for the 2034 edition, even if they continue to give a very diplomatic speech by affirming that they would be ready to accept the Games in 2030 for “ provide a service to the Olympic movement"

In such a desert, the Swedes appear today to be in the best position. Beaten by the Italians of Milan-Cortina for the Winter Games in 2026, they had put aside their ambitions. Before realizing that the opportunity offered by the race for the 2030 edition would probably never arise again. But their project still remains quite vague.

Switzerland held the same reasoning, before announcing that it had in turn started dialogue with the IOC. His chances are real. But the national Olympic committee, Swiss Olympic, remains very cautious. He has not yet lifted the veil on the city, or cities, chosen to carry out the project. In any case, it will have to go through a referendum.

According to its new calendar, the IOC should not award the 2030 Winter Games before the session organized in Paris in July 2024, on the sidelines of the next Summer Games. Before that, he could announce a city invited to continue the “ privileged dialogue » during its next session, scheduled for October 2023 in Mumbai, India. Provided, however, that you have found one.