It was time. A year and a few days before the designation, the race for the 2030 Winter Games is becoming clearer. A candidate long announced as favorite, Sapporo, slowly returned to the pits. In his place, a surprise applicant, Sweden, shows up in the lead and picks up the pace.
The president of the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK), Hans von Uthmann, announced it without holding back his joy on Thursday June 15: the file is ready for the next phase. “ Our preliminary study shows that Sweden has the possibility, the know-how and the will to organize the Winter Games in 2030, declared the Scandinavian leader, elected last April at the head of the national body to replace Matt Arjes. The IOC welcomed us into the next phase"
Long absent from the race, after a defeat against the Italians of Milan-Cortina for the Winter Games in 2026, the Swedes showed up at the start of the year, after the announcement of the pause of the Sapporo application. Cautious, they chose to proceed methodically, with a feasibility study.
The work was carried out without haste. It lasted four months. Earlier this week, the feasibility study was presented to Swedish Sports Minister Jakob Forssmed.
Obviously, its conclusions hit the nail on the head: after the successive withdrawals of Vancouver and Barcelona/Pyrenees, then the sidelining of Sapporo, and faced with the desire of Salt Lake City to favor the 2034 option, Sweden presents itself today on largely open ground. She has a historic chance of winning, after nine unsuccessful attempts to win.
Hans von Uthmann makes no secret of it: the Swedes have learned the lessons of the past, they have learned from their last failure. Their project for the Games in 2030 is intended to be even more in line with the IOC Agenda 2020+5. Understand, a minimum of new sites, controlled costs and a low cost budget. “ Our concept is even better than last time, notably due to the absence of new constructions”, suggests the president of SOK.
Sweden's strengths? According to Hans von Uthmann, “ excellent organization, wonderful locations and a very, very welcoming country.” Basic, certainly. But it may not take more to win the race, the number of officially declared candidates being reduced to the strict minimum today.
The Swedish file has not yet been formally completed. But it should be structured around the strongholds of winter sports in the country, where existing infrastructures would ensure compliance with the IOC recommendations. Ice disciplines would be concentrated in Stockholm and its region, Nordic skiing events in Falun, alpine skiing and snowboarding in Åre and Östersund.
Without having a bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track up to Olympic standards, Sweden would do business with Latvia, a neighboring country, which has sufficient equipment in Sigulda.
The following ? Sweden will now continue the host city selection process by entering the next phase, a more formal dialogue with the IOC. It could last until the end of the year. In December, the IOC Executive Board is expected to announce the name of the candidate known as “ privileged”, the only one invited to continue the road. It will be proposed for validation at the session in July 2024, on the sidelines of the Paris Games.
At the same time, the Swedes will continue the work in the country. With a dual objective: to gain the support of the population, with a view to a possible referendum, and to secure guarantees from public authorities.
Enough to win? In the current landscape, certainly. With Salt Lake City clearly leaning towards the 2034 edition, Sweden does not have a real opponent. Only Switzerland could block its passage. But for this to happen it would be necessary for its Olympic committee, Swiss Olympic, to in turn advance its pawns on the chessboard.
