Olympics: Sapporo suspends bid events over Tokyo Games scandal

TOKYO – The Japanese city of Sapporo will stop promoting its 2030 Winter Olympics bid and hold a nationwide poll

after a corruption scandal over the Tokyo Games in 2021

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The moves come as prosecutors continue to investigate corruption, including alleged bid-rigging at the Covid-postponed Summer Games in Tokyo.

“In light of the case related to Tokyo, it has been determined that we must design a clean Games,” Akifumi Kudo, a local official working on the municipal bid, told AFP.

Sapporo had been seen as the front runner to host the Winter Games for a second time since 1972, ahead of Salt Lake City and Vancouver, but the corruption scandal has soured the bid.

Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto said on Tuesday that the city needed time to draft strong anti-corruption measures to win public support, given the cloud over the Tokyo event.

“Rather than just running to the goal and closing our eyes to our surroundings, we have concluded that our priority should be to clear away any concerns or doubts the public has,” he said.

“We will revisit and publish our operational plan for the Games, while confirming the public’s will,” he added, insisting Sapporo was still committed to its bid.

The city hopes to finalise a new plan for the Games in 2023, then conduct nationwide polling to gauge support, Kudo said.

Earlier in December, the governor of Hokkaido, where Sapporo is located, warned that the bid had become “difficult”.

“When you consider the series of problems related to the Tokyo Olympics, it will be difficult to build momentum with things as they are,” Naomichi Suzuki said.

Prosecutors have arrested former Tokyo Games executive Haruyuki Takahashi on suspicion of taking bribes in return for helping companies become official event sponsors.

The scandal has also engulfed the company that produced toy versions of the Games mascots, as well as a suit retailer, a publishing firm and major advertising agencies.

Former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, who resigned as Tokyo 2020 president after making sexist comments, volunteered to be interviewed by prosecutors in September.

“The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has taken note of the allegations against some Japanese organisations involved in the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and has utmost confidence in the Japanese authorities to fully investigate this matter,” the IOC said in a statement.

Separate from the issues in Japan, the IOC in December decided to postpone selecting a host for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games, citing concerns about the impact of climate change.

The IOC has stated it aims to become “climate positive” by the end of 2024 by reducing its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 30 per cent. Starting in 2030, Olympic host cities will also be contractually obligated to be “climate positive”.

The host city was originally due to be chosen in autumn 2023.

The IOC has also said it might award the 2030 and 2034 host cities simultaneously to create stability for winter sports and the Winter Games. It added that hosting rights may rotate “between a certain pool of cities and regions”, as it faces a shrinking pool of potential bidders.

There were only two candidates for the 2022 Winter Games – Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan. The IOC chose Beijing by four votes. The 2026 Winter Games will be held in Milan-Cortina. AFP, REUTERS