End clap for Sapporo. The capital of Hokkaido Prefecture has officially put an end to its plan to host the Winter Games a second time, after 1972. The decision was taken on Tuesday, December 19 during a meeting of various stakeholders – including the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) – chaired by the city's mayor, Akimoto Katsuhiro, and the governor of Hokkaido prefecture, Suzuki Naomichi. According to Japanese media, the idea of ending the candidacy was suggested by a representative of the national Olympic committee. It was supported by the majority of participants in the meeting, before being definitively validated by the mayor of Sapporo. According to him, it is now almost impossible to secure the organization of the Winter Games before “ at least 15 years.” Continuing the adventure would therefore be a waste of time and money, especially without being able to rely on a precise timetable. Long favorite in the race for the 2030 Winter Games, Sapporo had put its candidacy on prolonged pause after the revelation of a corruption scandal linked to the Tokyo 2020 Games. It then gave up running for the Games in 2030, but without closing the door to a candidacy for the following editions, 2034 and especially 2038. But the decision of the IOC Executive Board, at the end of last month, to retain the French Alps for 2030, Salt Lake City for 2034 and, with less certainty, Switzerland for 2038, has pushed back Japanese hopes to a much more distant edition, at the earliest in 2042. Too late, obviously, to entertain a candidacy project.
