Sports Sapporo drops bid to host 2030 Winter Olympics

[thomas]

Sayounara Olympics: Sapporo City abandoned its bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics. The city has been unable to build momentum as public sentiment has soured following the revelation of widespread bribery and bid-rigging related to the Tokyo Games in the summer of 2021. The Hokkaido capital could bid for the Winter Olympics in 2034 or later.

Photo credit: Asahi​

The city on Oct. 3 announced revised plans for running the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games to prevent a recurrence of the bribery and bid-rigging scandals involving organizers of the 2021 Tokyo Games. However, Sapporo officials apparently decided that the city would need more time to gain understanding of its residents for hosting the sports extravaganza. Sapporo, in 2014, announced its bid to host the Winter Olympics. While a city survey in March 2022 found more supporters than opponents of the bid, the trend has reversed in opinion polls by media outlets since the Tokyo Olympics scandals surfaced. The International Olympic Committee has been holding discussions with Sapporo as a city interested in hosting the Winter Games in or after 2030.

Sapporo decides to abandon bid to host 2030 Winter Olympics | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

www.asahi.com

Sapporo to drop 2030 Winter Games bid, aim for future race - The Mainichi

SAPPORO (Kyodo) -- Sapporo is set to abandon its bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics at the request of the Japanese Olympic Committee, and will inste

mainichi.jp

 

[Majestic]

Probably a good thing. The Olympics just seem drenched in bribery, corruption, and fiscal irresponsibility, I'm slightly relieved that Sapporo has given up on this. Not to mention the new reality of a global pandemic potentially throwing the games into chaos.

I know a lot of locals look forward to the event, but the Tokyo Olympics was just a debacle, and I can't imagine another Japanese city having to go through that kind of thing again.