The members of the IOC can make up their minds: the time when they will be able to once again designate by a real vote the host cities of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has not yet come. It might never come back again.

For the summer, mass is said until Brisbane 2032. For the winter, the next session will undoubtedly validate, Wednesday July 24 in Paris, the choice of the executive commission of the French Alps for 2030 and Salt Lake City for 2034.

The following ? In the summer version, it looks very indecisive. Candidates for the Games in 2036 already number in handfuls, declared or potential, between Indonesia, India, Chile, Qatar, Turkey, Germany, Poland. Great battle ahead.

For winter, the situation seems clearer. Switzerland in 2038. Then Asia in 2042. Written in advance, or almost. All that remains is to find an Asian country ready to launch.

Invited to join the press conference at the end of the first day of the executive board meeting, Wednesday June 12, Karl Stoss ventured into a projection of the next two editions of the Winter Games to be awarded. In his capacity as president of the future host commission, the Austrian has drawn up a precise picture. He has already made history, almost two decades in advance.

For 2038, the IOC Executive Board announced last November that it had selected the national project for the Olympics in Switzerland. But, as the authorities' guarantees were not yet assured, the body had invented a new concept to keep the Swiss without promising them victory: privileged dialogue.

The IOC had specified that it could last until the end of 2027. But Karl Stoss explained it this week from Lausanne: things are progressing at a good rate, the deadline could be brought forward. “We have a very good dialogue with Switzerland, assured the Austrian. It will certainly continue very quickly after the Paris 2024 Games. We could then move into a phase of targeted dialogue with Switzerland from the year 2025."

Anything but anecdotal clarification: the three projects selected by the IOC for this phase of targeted dialogue since the reform of the method of selection of host cities were all then proposed to the session for validation. Brisbane 2032 for the summer, the French Alps for 2030 and Salt Lake City for 2034. Suffice to say that the passage of “privileged” to "target " is similar, in the mind of the IOC, to a promise of victory.

With France in 2030, the United States in 2034, then Switzerland in 2038, the IOC could grant itself a respite. But Karl Stoss' comments to the media this week suggest that the body could see itself pushing the cursor an additional notch. And get to work without too much delay for an edition of the Winter Games in 2042 that the oldest members may not see.

The Austrian recognized this: the future host commission is already open to dialogue, even in an embryonic form, with cities or countries interested in the Games in 2042, or even beyond. “For other upcoming Winter Games, we are always looking for interesting candidates”, explained Karl Stoss.

So far, nothing very spectacular. But, surprisingly, he mentioned Asia, a continent clearly already at the top of the list for the Games in 2042. “We could start a dialogue with an Asian candidate as soon as possible”, confided Karl Stoss.

Just as unexpected, the Austrian put forward a name: Japan. “If Sapporo or any other region in Japan raised its hand and said, “We are ready,” we would be very happy to start the dialogue. » Japan in 2042, therefore, after Switzerland in 2038. The IOC wants to get ahead. Much ahead. Thomas Bach's successor as president could well experience a first mandate where history will already be written.