The Japanese city of Sapporo has dropped its bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics following a recent earthquake.
After meeting with Sapporo representatives, the International Olympic Committee said Monday the city, which became the first in Asia to host the Winter Olympics in 1972, will now focus on a bid for the 2030 Games.
Japanese officials have said 41 people were killed when an earthquake hit Japan鈥檚 northern island of Hokkaido, where Sapporo is located, on Sept. 6. Even before the earthquake, Sapporo officials had said they might prefer to focus on 2030.
The IOC said in a statement it 鈥渆xpressed its understanding that recovery from the earthquake in the region should be the immediate principle focus but greatly appreciated the continued strong commitment as a future host for the Olympic Winter Games.鈥�
Calgary is one of four bids remaining in contention for 2026. Others include Stockholm, Sweden; a three-way Italian bid from Turin, Milan and Cortina d鈥橝mpezzo; and Erzurum, Turkey.
Sapporo鈥檚 exit means there is no chance of having three consecutive Winter Olympics in East Asia after this year鈥檚 games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the upcoming 2022 event in Beijing.
With four remaining bids for 2026, the race so far remains in healthier shape for the IOC than the 2022 bidding, which came down to only Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, both of which faced criticism for their governments鈥� human rights records and a perceived lack of winter sports tradition.
However, each of the remaining bids faces its own challenges.
Government support for Stockholm鈥檚 bid appears less certain after recent elections in which the governing party lost ground, while there has been infighting between the three Italian cities despite their nominal alliance. Calgary鈥檚 bid faces a non-binding referendum Nov. 13 鈥� Olympic bids elsewhere have often struggled to win over voters. Erzurum鈥檚 key problem is Turkey鈥檚 status as a winter sports outsider which has never won an Olympic medal on snow or ice.
The host city or cities will be chosen at the IOC session in Milan next September.
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The Associated Press
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