(ATR) A new poll shows strong support in and around Innsbruck for a potential 2026 Olympics bid.
The survey found 55 percent in favor with only 30 percent against. Eleven percent said they didn’t care about the issue while three percent said they had no opinion.
Support for Innsbruck to become the first city to host three Winter Games was even more pronounced among younger Austrians. Sixty-seven percent of those aged 40 or less were in favor with only 17 percent opposed.
The telephone survey of 400 people, which has a margin of error of five percent, was carried out between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24 for the Bezirksblätter Tirol weekly publication.
Last week, the city of Innsbruck, the state of Tyrol and the Austrian Olympic Committee (OOC) announced the decision to launch a feasibility study. The three entities are sharing the costs of the $380,000 study.
Located in the heart of the Alps, Innsbruck is known for its numerous ski resorts and has experience hosting major winter sporting events. The city most recently hosted the Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012 and has hosted two Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976.
Innsbruck could face competition from Calgary, Canadaand a to-be-determined Swiss bid.
Calgary, which hosted the 1988 Winter Games, has formed an exploratory committee to evaluate the feasibility of a bid to bring a Winter Olympics return in 2026.
Four possible Swiss regional bids are being evaluated by a 12-member task force with a final decision expected to be made by Swiss Olympic in March.
Montreux last week became the first city to offer its services as the host city for one of the bids.
The bid entitled "The Swiss Made Winter Games 2026" includes the cantons of Valais and Vaud.
Both Lausanne, in Vaud, and Sion, in Valais, had also expressed interest in being the host city for the bid.
The final decision on the host city will be made by the Vaud-Valais organizing committee on December 15th, the deadline for final project descriptions to be submitted to Swiss Olympic’s 2026 Task Force.
The other three regional bids being considered are: "2026 – Games for our Future" (multi-regional), "Olympische Winterspiele 2026 Graubünden und Partner" (Eastern Switzerland) and "Switzerland 2026" (multi-regions).
Switzerland has twice hosted the Winter Olympics, both times in St. Moritz in 1928 and 1948.
The 2026 Winter Olympic host city will be selected at the 132nd IOC Session in 2019.
Written by Gerard Farek
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