The Japanese city of Sapporo officially shelved its intention to organize the 2030 Winter Olympics on Wednesday due in particular to the corruption scandals linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which shocked Japanese public opinion. Instead, Sapporo is considering a bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics or beyond: the city will continue to explore “the possibility” of organizing its second Winter Olympics (after those of 1972) and its first Winter Paralympic Games, declared its mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto at a press conference.
The Japanese Olympic Committee “decided that proceeding with a hasty and clumsy candidacy could have caused irreparable harm to Olympism, Paralympism and sporting values” explained its president Yasuhiro Yamashita, who suggested to the mayor of Sapporo to postpone the application to 2034 or beyond. “Especially since a series of problems surrounding the Tokyo 2020 Games came to light last year, distrust in the Games has increased,” observed the Sapporo mayor.
Several corruption scandals linked to the preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic) broke out last year in Japan, giving rise to a series of trials and around ten convictions to date, including former directors of Japanese companies. Despite the city’s transparency efforts for its candidacy file, “there are still a lot of people worried, and we cannot say that we have enough support” from the population, added the elected official.
The fear of a surge in the costs of organizing the Olympics and questions about their very meaning also weigh, said Mr. Yamashita. With Salt Lake City, already host of the Winter Olympics in 2002, the United States could be a candidate for the 2030 Winter Olympics but their preference now seems to be for those of 2034. Sweden, Switzerland and the Alps French women remain in the running for the 2030 Winter Olympics.