A rival for Switzerland? Three European countries, Austria, Italy and Slovenia, have started discussions for a possible bid for the Winter Games in 2038. The governor of the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located in the northeast of the country , Massimiliano Fedriga, and Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon held a joint press conference in Trieste to detail their project. It is the first in the history of Olympic candidacies carried by three border countries. At this stage, its chances seem very slim, the IOC having announced at the end of last year that it had selected Switzerland for a “ privileged dialogue » for the Games in 2038, after the French Alps in 2030 and Salt Lake City in 2034. But this unprecedented position of the Swiss candidacy is not eternal. It is guaranteed by the IOC until 2027. In the event that the Swiss do not manage to meet by this date all the conditions imposed by the Olympic body, including guarantees from the public authorities, the race for the Winter Games 2038 would be reopened. The joint file of Austria, Italy and Slovenia could then really try its luck.
