Who Will Host the 2030 Winter Olympics?

29th May 2023

Last modified on June 3rd, 2023

Often there is a clear favourite but it is not so simple for the Olympics after next. Deferrals, scandal and late entrants are in the mix.

The International Olympic Committee had hoped to make the announcement of the host in 2023 – that has now been pushed back to 2024.

The latest country unofficially to show an interest is France.

A member of the French International Olympic Committee, Guy Drut, said the country could bid for the 2030 Winter Games with a combined effort from French resorts in the northern Alps and the southern Alps.

No candidacy or interest has been announced by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee.

Drut was not specific on where the central area would be with the Opening and Closing ceremonies or which resorts would join in.

Chamonix has already said it is not interested.

It comes after another late entrant, Sweden, expressed an interest.

The Scandinavian country is now carrying out feasibility studies and seems to be becoming the favourite.

Normally hosts express interest many years in advance of decision day, not shortly before.

So, why the change?

The short answer is that all the ones that expressed an interest a while back – Sapporo in Japan, Salt Lake City in the USA & Vancouver Calgary in Canada – have lost interest.

Sapporo – It was the clear the front runner but organisers decided to pause the bid due to the Tokyo 2020 bribery scandal.

Salt Lake City – Salt Lake City has said it would prefer to bid for 2034 to avoid a clash with the Los Angeles Summer 2028 sponsorship deals.

Vancouver – A bid from Vancouver in Canada has already been shelved due to a lack of Government support.

Salt Lake City hosted the Games in 2002.

Plaque marking the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Image © PlanetSKI

The Olympic Games executive director, Christophe Dubi, has claimed that several potential hosts have expressed initial interest in hosting the 2030 Games.

He did not name them.

“If you look at those parties that have come to the table at this point in time these are very mature winter markets so I am definitely not worried with the timing knowing that we are going to go to, as we have with Milan and Cortina, a region or country that has the infrastructure and are used to organising high-level events being World Cups or World Championships so we are not pressed for time for the election,” he said.

Salt Lake City’s Olympic ambitions, whether for 2030 or 2034, took a significant step forward recently after the organisers approved the majority of a plan on staging the Games.

“Our bid is so strong,” said the chief executive of the Bidding Committee, Fraser Bullock.

“We are extremely confident we will get a Games either in ’30 or ’34.”

The plan covers the detail of hosting the Games including venues and transport.

Salt Lake City has now backed Stockholm for 2030.

“We are hoping there is a strong, viable host for 2030, which would allow us to focus exclusively on our bid for 2034, our preferred choice,” Fraser Bullock told the newspaper Deseret News.

“Sweden would be a great host of a future Games, it is a country with a rich tradition of winter sport but has yet to host Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

A system of permanent rotating hosts for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics is being considered by the IOC.