Lack of Winter Olympic bids may lead to rotating fixed host cities

Considering the dearth of candidates to stage the Winter Olympics amid spiraling venue costs, the International Olympic Committee may have to resort to lining up a list of fixed, rotating hosts.

A highly theoretical list could include Salt Lake City and Vancouver in North America, Pyeongchang, South Korea in Asia and places like Switzerland, Italy and Scandinavia in Europe.

"There are talks. It is a challenge with climate change and infrastructure to be able to find venues for the Winter Olympics," retired Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Vonn is on the bid committee for Salt Lake City's candidacy for the 2030 or 2034 Games.

Most of the rotating hosts would have hosted the Olympics previously, or have most of the venues already built.

"A rotating venue option is on the table in which certain altitude standards would be in place and it would have to have mostly pre-existing structures and it would limit the cost for the venues and it would limit the chances of climate change affecting the competitions in a negative way," Vonn said.

"I know that's been discussed. How early that will happen, I don't know, but I don't think it would happen before 2034."

Sweden's Olympic leaders announced last week they are weighing whether to bid for 2030 while the IOC has delayed the process to search for more contenders.

Sapporo, Japan was considered the favourite for 2030 before an ongoing bid-rigging scandal related to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo held in 2021. Salt Lake City is the only other known bidder that might consider taking 2030, though officials have said they favour a bid for 2034.

If a Stockholm-centred bid does go ahead, it currently seems sure to win without