The City of Stockholm has undergone a curious process of considering whether to launch a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. That Stockholm has contemplated launching a bid is not surprising from a regional perspective—the Olympic Games have not been held in a Scandinavian country since Lillehammer, Norway played host in 1994 and Sweden has never hosted the Winter Olympics. A potential bid from Stockholm would also be consistent with Sweden's self-identification and embracement of being a 'sportive nation'. Failed applications by the Swedish cities of Gothenburg, Falun, and Östersund to host the Winter Olympic Games confirm the long-standing interest of the Swedish Olympic Committee to secure the Games, although it should be noted that the Swedish Olympic Committee did not submit a bid for the 2006, 2010, 2014 or 2018 Winter Olympic Games competitions. Although recent reports indicate that Stockholm will not vie for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the notion that the city was even considering the option remains surprising. Stockholm had withdrawn its bid from the 2022 bidding competition citing a variety of concerns including a lack of government and public support, financial uncertainty, as well as the post-event viability of purpose-built infrastructure. Stockholm's withdrawal from the 2022 competition resonates with the growing apprehension by potential bid cities (especially those emerging from democratic countries) towards the Olympic Games. This thesis seeks to illustrate that Stockholm's Olympic hopes have book-ended a transformative period in the Olympic bidding process and to expose the struggle that bid cities have in adjusting to the demands of the IOC's bidding process. / Master of Science / The City of Stockholm’s recent Olympic hosting ambition has gone through a tumultuous and curious process in recent years. This ambition is especially visible during the 2026 Winter Olympic bidding process in which the Swedish Olympic Committee considered the feasibility to bid for the Games. While smaller Swedish cities including Gothenburg, Falun and Östersund have all failed in materializing a competitive bid for the Winter Olympics, the ambition still lingers. Although media reports state that Stockholm will not consider a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics, the notion that Stockholm was even considering the option to bid remains surprising recognizing that the Swedish capital withdrew its 2022 Winter Olympic bid due to lack of support from both the public and the city government. The issues behind Stockholm’s withdrawal of their 2022 bid falls in line with comparable complications that the International Olympic Committee has witnessed regarding other, similar social democratic countries withdrawing bids at a higher rate than normal. These issues include a variety of concerns ranging from lack of political and public support, financial uncertainty, and the usage of purpose-built Winter Olympic venues after the conclusion of the Games. This thesis investigates the transformative period of the Swedish Olympic Committees ambitions for the Olympic Games, while also highlighting issues that can arise during the bidding process, including difficulties and adjustments required by the International Olympic Committee.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/82866 |
| Date | 23 April 2018 |
| Creators | Olson, Erik Johan |
| Contributors | Geography, Oliver, Robert D., Kolivras, Korine N., Juran, Luke |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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