Let it be said: things are happening in Switzerland. The Swiss Confederation, once stunned by its repeated failures in the race for the Winter Olympic Games, seems to have healed its wounds. She regains her appetite. No one will complain about it.

Entering the battle for the 2030 Winter Games after the withdrawals of the Vancouver Canadians, the Spaniards of Barcelona and the Pyrenees, and especially the pit stop of the Japanese of Sapporo, Switzerland is not only eyeing the Olympic event and Paralympic.

It has submitted an application to host the first FIS Games – the International Ski and Snowboard Federation – in 2028, where it competes with Norway. Above all, today she is also showing her interest in the multi-sport European championships.

The Winter Games, first. Switzerland places them at the top of the list. But, unlike its Swedish and French rivals, it still has to use the conditional to discuss the candidacy.

Jürg Stahl, the president of the national Olympic committee (Swiss Olympic), and Roger Schnegg, the general director, took advantage of the meetings with the media, organized by the body on Wednesday November 15 in Lausanne and Zurich, to clarify the calendar. It looks tight.

Friday, November 24, the Sports Parliament must meet in Ittigen to validate, or not, Switzerland's candidacy for the 2030 Winter Games. Three days earlier, the project leaders will have been heard by the commission for the future host of the CIO, a grand oral also planned for the French and Swedish teams.

« It is now up to the Sports Parliament to give the green light to those responsible for the project to continue – and then for the IOC to decide whether to invite us to the next phase of the dialogue, explained Jürg Stahl. But the interest and the constructive and benevolent critical support of the project by the Swiss media and public delight us."

The president and general director of Swiss Olympic also recalled the concept of the project, the All-Switzerland Games, with events in all linguistic zones. It would have been inspired, they explained, by the Italian example of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games, where the map of sites extends to the north of the country. “ Having multiple regions reduces risks, insisted Jürg Stahl. What also matters is to have relatively few investments to make and that there is little harm to nature. »

Clarification provided by Swiss Olympic: a failure in the race for the Winter Games in 2030 would not put an end to the Swiss project. In the event that the IOC Executive Board does not retain it for the targeted dialogue phase, during its next meeting in Paris (November 29 to December 1), Switzerland could try its luck again for the 2034 edition. She would then find herself face to face with the Americans from Salt Lake City.

Another file opened on Wednesday November 15 by Swiss Olympics in front of the media: the European multi-sport championships. Glasgow and Berlin shared the event for its first edition in 2018, then Munich brought everyone together four years later. For the future – 2026 and 2030 – everything is open.

The Swiss project is not new. The Lausanne authorities mentioned it in August 2022, at the end of the European multi-sport championships in Munich. Patrice Iseli, the director of the Sports Department, confided that the Olympic capital could partner with other cities to organize the event. Since then, the idea has gained ground.

Roger Schnegg explained it: “ The budget is obviously much smaller. But, here too, all of Switzerland could benefit from it. It is obvious that we would not organize the European Championships in 2030 if we got the Winter Games, but we see the possible synergies"

A press release from the authority specifies: “ Swiss Olympic sees great interest in pursuing the idea of ​​organizing European championships in Switzerland, even if it is not the same year as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. » Clearly, the multisport event could suit it in 2026, in the event of success in the race for the 2030 Winter Games, or four years later in the event of failure.

Jürg Stahl insists: “ We are very motivated to show that a small country like ours can do it. » Small country, certainly, but big ambitions.