Sweden has not yet given a name, and especially a location, to its project. France is moving forward on two legs, with a candidacy supported by two regions. But in the race for the 2030 Winter Games, still unclear less than seven years before the event, Switzerland took everyone by surprise.
The national Olympic committee – Swiss Olympic – announced and detailed it in a long press release: its Olympic project, its umpteenth since the Saint-Moritz Games in 1948, will not be that of a city, and not that of a city either. 'a region. It will be the first in history to be carried by an entire country.
The Swiss Winter Games, therefore. Nothing less. A national Olympic and Paralympic event, with events in all language zones. Like a football World Cup, in short, but with less construction. Perfectly aligned with the main lines of the IOC Agenda 2020+5, the Swiss project presents itself as the most sustainable in history. The file would not include the slightest new equipment, all the events having to take place in already existing sites.
Swiss Olympic specifies: for 13 of the 14 Olympic winter sports, Switzerland will have a modern and suitable infrastructure at the end of the decade. The only gray area: speed skating. The Swiss Confederation does not have the slightest ring of ice up to the standards of a major Olympic competition. But she has no plans to build one. “ Discussions are underway with other nations who could be involved as partners.”, insists Swiss Olympic.
The project does not provide for the construction of an Olympic village either. Instead, the Swiss offer to accommodate the delegations in “ Olympic hubs », using existing accommodation possibilities.
A feasibility study was launched by Swiss Olympic and the winter sports federations at the end of April. It must show “ by autumn if the vision of a (para)Olympic Switzerland as host country can become reality”, explains the instance. At this stage, there is therefore no official question of a candidacy yet. Caution.
Question: which edition of the Winter Games could fall into the Swiss camp? The answer remains unclear. Swiss Olympic makes no secret of it: its project concerns 2030, 2034 or 2038 at the same time. Be careful, once again. But the eagerness of the Swiss to show their cards, in recent weeks, reveals a clear preference for the first of the three editions, where the opportunity to win the bet has undoubtedly never been more real. For the Swiss, but also for their two potential rivals in Europe, France and Sweden.
Swiss Olympic presents it as another ace up its sleeve: Switzerland will organize an impressive series of winter sports world championships over the decade, including bobsleigh/skeleton in 2023, biathlon in 2025, snowboard /freestyle skiing in 2025, men's ice hockey in 2026, and finally alpine skiing in 2027. A collection of global events which will make it, in the words of Swiss Olympic, a " World Winter Sports Hub ».
The following ? Once the feasibility study and its report are completed, the Executive Board of Swiss Olympic, then the Sports Parliament, will decide whether it is appropriate to continue. This next step is announced for the month of October 2023. In the event of a positive response, the IOC may invite Switzerland to a “ targeted dialogue ». Clearly, Switzerland and its vision of a “ host country of the Winter Games » will truly and officially join the race.
On paper, the Swiss project multiplies its advantages. It is intended to be durable, low cost, innovative and unifying. But by casting such a wide net, by proposing not just the Swiss Games, but those of the Swiss, all the Swiss, he will have to bring the entire country together. Its political forces, its environmental organizations, its population... The task is certainly not impossible, as the concept is so attractive, but it will have to be done quickly.
