Seven Countries Confirm Interest In Staging Olympic Winter Games In 2026
On 3rd April 2018, the IOC announced that seven National Olympic Committees have expressed official interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games 2026. This is the first group benefitting entirely from the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which offer a cost-efficient, transparent and flexible delivery of the Games from candidature through to legacy.
The National Olympic Committees and cities are:
- Austrian Olympic Committee (Graz)
- Canadian Olympic Committee (Calgary)
- Italian Olympic Committee (Cortina d’Ampezzo/Milan/Turin)
- Japanese Olympic Committee (Sapporo)
- Swedish Olympic Committee (Stockholm)
- Swiss Olympic Association (Sion)
- Turkish Olympic Committee (Erzurum)
These interested cities and National Olympic Committees will continue with a newly introduced dialogue stage in which the IOC provides NOCs with greater support, technical advice, communications assistance and materials to develop the best possible candidature. The new approach enables cities to create the most feasible, legacy-enhancing Olympic Games possible. During the dialogue stage, the IOC will work together with the cities and NOCs to narrow the field and ultimately produce the best possible host city.
The new norm will also afford increased flexibility in designing Games that meet the long-term development goals of the city, region and country. The seven-year preparation journey has been significantly simplified, and hosts will receive more support from the IOC and the wider Olympic Movement. Legacy is a priority from the very start of the planning through to final delivery and well beyond. The implementation of the IOC’s reforms will ensure that these elements are incorporated across the board and monitored from the earliest stages of Games planning and organisation.
The host city for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 will be selected by the IOC Session in September 2019.
