TOKYO — The city of Sapporo in northern Japan has rejected holding a referendum to give voters a choice to have a say in a possible bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics.
The city assembly, controlled by the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, also in power nationally, declined to hold a public vote. His meeting was streamed online.
Sapporo is known to be one of three candidate cities interested in hosting the 2030 Winter Games. The others are Salt Lake City and Vancouver. Spain has also expressed interest.
Salt Lake and Vancouver do not need referendums. One of the complications of a Spanish candidacy is pressure to hold a public vote.
When voters in other cities were given a choice, they consistently rejected hosting the Olympics, often citing cost and disruption.
Sapporo officials revealed that a referendum was not necessary as its poll showed 52% in favor of an Olympic bid.
Hitoshi Murakami, a member of Japan’s Communist Party who proposed the referendum, said the poll results were skewed since it took place shortly after the end of the postponed Tokyo Olympics last year.
The costs of the Tokyo Games were estimated at US$13.6 billion, the majority of which was public money. Several government audits showed that the official cost was much higher.
The International Olympic Committee is expected to award the 2030 Olympics at meetings next May in Mumbai, India. It could also award the 2034 Winter Olympics.
Sapporo has estimated the cost of hosting the Winter Olympics at US$2.6 billion, although it is impossible to accurately estimate costs almost eight years in advance. In addition, the Olympics regularly go over budget.
Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles those of 2028 and Brisbane, Australia, those of 2032. The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo.
