The International Olympic Committee will at the end of this month conduct inspections of venues the Sapporo Olympic organizers intend to use if the city is selected to host the 2030 Winter Games, a source with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.
IOC staff will visit venues in Hokkaido to check on their current operating conditions and capacities so the IOC's winter Future Host Commission, charged with identifying host cities, can compile the materials and documents it needs.
The inspection is done in private and takes a few days. Japanese Olympic Committee representatives will accompany inspectors.
According to the IOC, no discussions are expected to take place during the inspections, and Future Host Commission members will not take part in the trip to collect information on the progress of planning and venue development.
The IOC has reportedly already conducted its inspection of Salt Lake City, Utah, which is the rival bidder.
According to the Sapporo bid outline, competitions would take place at 13 different venues excluding Sapporo Dome, which would host the opening and closing ceremonies.
The current bid plan has speed skating being held in Obihiro, Hokkaido, and alpine skiing at Hokkaido's Niseko mountain resort. Bobsleigh and sledding events would be held in Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics. The IOC will not inspect the Nagano venues on this trip.
In addition to the 1972 host Sapporo and 2002 host Salt Lake City, Vancouver, the 2010 host, and Spain's regions of Catalonia and Aragon have also shown interest in hosting the 2030 Olympics.