(ATR) The new year means a new boss for Swiss Olympic but no change in the optimism over the country’s bid to host the 2026 Olympics.
Jürg Stahl, 48, was elected to a four-year term as president of Swiss Olympic in late November and assumed his new position on Jan. 1. He succeeded Jörg Schild, who stepped down after 11 years upon reaching the age limit to run for re-election.
It will be a very busy year for Stahl who began a one-year term as president of the Swiss National Council in late November. The National Council is the lower house of the Swiss Federal Assembly. Stahl’s position in the national government could prove helpful in coalescing federal support for the eventual winner between two remaining bids.
One is based in the western Canton of Valais, while the other comes from the eastern Canton of Graubünden. Swiss Olympic will evaluate the two bids over the coming weeks, with the body’s executive council recommending a project in March. The Swiss Olympic general assembly will choose a bid on April 11.
But a decision between the two may be taken out of Swiss Olympic’s hands should the citizens of Graubünden vote against their region’s bid in a referendum on Feb. 12.
Stahl, like his predecessor, believes the IOC’s Agenda 2020 makes the time right for another Swiss attempt at hosting the Games. The country has not hosted the Olympics since 1948 in St. Moritz.
In a recent interview with the Swiss publication Blick, Stahl says "Yes, we can do this. We have often proved that we can organize competitions. Apart from speed skating and short track, we have experience with all the Olympic winter disciplines. With Agenda 2020, which will make the Games more flexible, a Winter Games in Switzerland is realistic."
Schild told Around the Rings in December that "Agenda 2020 and a revised approach to the bidding process create a new reality in which a Swiss bid really makes sense again for our country.
"It’s clear to us that we should do it now. After two editions in Asia, we think that a great bid in the heart of the Alps has a really good chance in the 2026 race."
Stahl is building bridges with the hosts of the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. He and his Chinese counterpart signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday aimed at growing cooperation between the two NOCs.
Calgary to Get First Glimpse of 2026 Feasibility Study
The potential for a Calgary bid for 2026 will become clearer over the next few weeks.
The Calgary city council, which approved a $5 million dollar feasibility study more than six months ago, is scheduled to get its first update from the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee on Jan. 23, according to the Calgary Herald.
The original deadline to present a master plan to the council by the end of 2016 has been pushed back to the spring.
A spokesman for the CBEC told the Herald he expects a webpage will go live within a month, giving Calgary residents a chance to see how the project is coming along and allowing them to add their own comments on it.
The CBEC will provide a final report in July. The Calgary city council will then determine whether a bid is viable.
Formal 2026 bidding applications are not due with the IOC until after the 2024 host city is chosen in September. The final IOC decision will be made in 2019.
Written by Gerard Farekand Aaron Bauer
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