Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto announced Wednesday that his city has officially dropped its bid for the 2030 Winter Games, after it struggled to gain local support amid a series of bribery scandals related to the Tokyo Games and due to cost concerns.
Akimoto, however, made it clear that the Hokkaido capital is still hoping to host a future Winter Olympics, perhaps as soon as 2034.
The announcement, made in a joint news conference with Akimoto and Japanese Olympic Committee Chairman Yasuhiro Yamashita, ends the city’s yearslong attempt to host the Winter Games in 2030. Sapporo became the first Asian city to hold a Winter Olympics in 1972.