Sapporo’s already troubled bid for the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games suffered a fresh setback after the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOC) announced last week that it wants to serve as host, and will continue dialogue with the International Olympic Committee.
The announcement followed a Japanese Olympic Committee decision to continue to back Sapporo’s quest to host the event but also recognize the city as a candidate if it decides to bid for the Games in 2034 or afterward.
Both developments are expected to put further pressure on Sapporo to consider officially dropping its bid for the 2030 Games, which was already facing a low level of public support.