Winter Olympics should return to North America for first time since Vancouver 2010
It looks like the Winter Olympics will be returning to North America.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Wednesday afternoon that they will be inviting both the French National Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee into “targeted dialogues” to host future games.
In the press release, it was revealed that the IOC is focused on hosting the 2030 Games in the French Alps and the 2034 Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The French Alps and Salt Lake City-Utah invited into respective Targeted Dialogues to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030 and 2034. pic.twitter.com/t3XJyyVH8P
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) November 29, 2023
This wouldn’t be the first time the Winter Olympics have been held in the western United States city. Salt Lake City played host to the 2002 edition of the Games, which featured the re-introduction of the Skeleton event and the addition of a women’s bobsleigh event for the very first time.
Hockey fans of a certain age might remember the 2002 Games from the two epic gold medal clashes between the United States and Canada for both the men’s and women’s events.
#OnThisDay 👉 #TeamCanada won its first ever Olympic gold 🥇in women's hockey 🏒at Salt Lake City 2002, avenging their runner-up finish from four years earlier.
Canada defeated their arch-rivals from the United States who had the home ice advantage, 3-2 in the gold medal game👏 pic.twitter.com/47nCr7wXqp
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) February 21, 2023
If Salt Lake City is successful in securing the 2034 Olympic Games, it will be the first time the Winter Olympics have been held on North American soil since the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Other rumoured countries with interest in hosting the Games include Switzerland and Sweden, who both put in bids for either 2030 or 2034.
As for the 2030 Games potentially being held in France, this would be the first time the country has hosted the Winter Olympics since Albertville 1992. The 2024 Summer Olympics are set to be hosted in Paris in July.
North American sports fans will not have to wait an entire decade for the Olympics to come back to the continent. The 2028 Summer Olympic Games are set to be hosted in LA.
Vancouver had initially put in a bid to host the 2030 Games but withdrew it in October 2022 after the BC government said it would not support the bid and would instead prioritize focus on more pressing issues affecting residents of the province.
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