Spain withdrew its bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics due to political differences, leaving Salt Lake City, Sapporo, Japan and Vancouver as candidates to host. The IOC is expected to make its decision next year.
The Spanish Olympic Committee said local governments in Barcelona and the Pyrenees region, which were to share hosting duties, could not reach an agreement.
“We had other brilliant candidates [for the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics] it didn’t happen because we were competing with very strong rival cities,” said the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee. Alexander Blanco said Tuesday, according to a Reuters translation. “But this one, we destroyed it ourselves at home. There was no other way out than to withdraw our offer. We can’t spend months and months and months with the differences that there were.
“We were transforming an integrating project into a war between constitutionalists and separatists, the Olympic spirit is not there.”
The Spanish committee has told the IOC it wants to continue talks to possibly host a Winter Games beyond 2030.
From 2020, the Spanish plan included urban events in Barcelona, mountain events in the Pyrenees (150 miles north of Barcelona) and sliding and ski jumping sports in another country, because Spain does not have existing venues for these events.
Last week, a bid team from Salt Lake City, including Lindsey Vonnmet the IOC at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and said everything went well.
Salt Lake City expects the IOC to choose one or more cities in December for a more focused dialogue phase for 2030 (and possibly 2034), and a host city election next May 30 or June 1. .
Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics. No nation has held back-to-back Olympics since World War II. Salt Lake City, which hosted the last Olympics in the United States in 2002, is preparing for 2034 if necessary.
“We are focused on 2030” Fraser Bullock, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said earlier this month. “Everything we do, every contract we sign, is all about 2030. But it also has a provision for 2034.
“We recognize that back-to-back Games are tough. Geopolitically, it is difficult for the IOC to award consecutive Games to the United States, for ’28 and for ’30. We know it’s difficult. But we also recognize that there are opportunities through back-to-back Games.
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