All-Japan committee meets to promote Sapporo Olympic bid

‘Biggest stumbling block to holding the Olympics is the billions in costs’

TOKYO, May 10, (AP): Yasuhiro Yamashita, the head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, acknowledged the biggest stumbling block to holding the Olympics is the billions in costs.

However, in another breath on Tuesday at a so-called “All

Japan” meeting to promote Sapporo’s bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics, he said that if the northern Japanese city lands the Games, little new construction will be needed - a major expense for every Olympics.

“From both inside and outside our country, there are many views about hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Yamashista said, among politicians and business leaders online - and in Sapporo - talking up the bid. “I realize there are also concerns about the huge costs involved.”

The official cost for last year’s delayed Tokyo Olympics was $13.6 billion, although government audits suggest it may have been much more. At least 60% was public money.

Yamashita referred to a new host-selection policy promoted by the International Olympic Committee, which had for decades encouraged building shining new arenas and stadiums that have quickly become white elephants.

“It is no longer about building something for the event, but it’s about hosting the event to build the city,” Yamashita said.

Sapporo, Salt Lake City, Vancouver, and Barcelona in conjunction with regions in the Pyrenees, are known to be interested in 2030. It’s also possible the IOC will award the 2034 Games simultaneously as it did 4 1/2 years ago in naming Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles for 2028.

Under the new, largely opaque process, the IOC does not confirm any candidates at the early stages. Contenders can promote themselves as publicly as they wish - or as little.

“I am very confident that we have an all-Japan approached to our bid,” said Keigo Iwata, who heads the Sapporo committee.

Here’s what’s known so far.

Technical teams from the IOC have visited Salt Lake and Vancouver in the last few weeks. The three-person teams have not offered comment. A team is expected to visit Sapporo later this month. No visit to Spain is known to be planned.

Salt Lake and Sapporo will not hold public referendums on the bids. Vancouver also seems unlikely to hold one, while reports in Spain say it’s required. Referendums have killed many Olympic bids - particularly in Europe - with the public seldom approving when asked.