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- Switzerland is in ‘privileged dialogue’ to host 2038 Games
- Geneva, Lausanne, Engelberg and Zurich also included in proposed plan
- Budget for the event is CHF 2.2bn, with 82% coming from private funding
The Swiss resort of Crans-Montana is set to host the Alpine skiing competition at the 2038 Winter Olympics as part of a venue plan that would see events spread across Switzerland.
The Swiss Olympic committee has been in ‘privileged dialogue’ with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the country to host the 2038 Games since November 2023. The French Alps and Salt Lake City, which will host the Winter Olympics in 2030 and 2034, respectively, were invited to enter targeted dialogue at the same time.
The Swiss proposal sees events ‘decentralised’ to regions around Switzerland, including the municipality Crans-Montana, which has been earmarked to host the Alpine skiing.
A bar in the resort, Le Constellation, was the scene of a fire at a New Year party in which 40 people died, with prosecutors requesting last week that one of the bar’s managers be placed in pre-trial detention.
Geneva, Lausanne, Engelberg, Zurich, Zug, Lugano, Lenzerheide and St Moritz are also among the proposed venues. Bern, meanwhile, is set to host the closing ceremony for the Olympics and both the opening and closing ceremonies during the Paralympics.
Other planned venues include Engelberg for ski jumping, St Moritz for bobsleigh and Geneva for curling, while ice hockey would be shared between Zurich, Zug and Lugano. Figure skating and short track would take place in the IOC’s home city of Lausanne.
Fewer venues would be used during the Paralympics, which would see wheelchair curling take place in Geneva, para ice hockey in Lausanne and para biathlon in Lenzerheide.
The budget for the event is CHF 2.2 billion (US$2.75 billion), which spans the ten years from the awarding of the host contract to the Games themselves. It will comprise 82 per cent of private funding, with the remaining 18 per cent coming from the public sector.
Switzerland has hosted the Winter Olympics on two previous occasions, with St Moritz staging the 1928 and 1948 Games. The country’s national Olympic committee has exclusive rights to pursue the bid until 2027.
Swiss Olympic president Ruth Metzler-Arnold said: “The sports federations, from winter and summer sports, Olympic and non-Olympic, want the 2038 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Switzerland.
“They recognise the lasting impact such an event has on sport. Nothing has a comparable power to the guiding star of a major sporting event, which serves as a beacon for an entire generation of athletes and inspires people throughout the country – beyond the realm of sport.”
The next edition of the Winter Olympics are this year in Italy. Milan-Cortina 2026 takes place between 6th and 22nd February.
PA Media contributed to this report.
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