Switzerland has announced possible venues for the 2038 Winter Olympics. If the contract is awarded, there will be ski races in Crans-Montana, where there was recently a devastating fire.
The organizers of the Swiss bid confirmed that the Alpine ski races will take place in Crans-Montana in 2038. A devastating fire broke out in a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort on New Year’s Day, killing 40 people and injuring more than 100 others. Investigations revealed that people in the bar were using champagne bottles with spray fountains and the flammable ceiling paneling caught fire. The operator is in custody.
The application from Switzerland is the only one for 2038. The Swiss Olympic Committee is in concrete discussions with the IOC. According to the IOC, the games should officially be awarded by the end of 2027 at the latest. If, contrary to expectations, Switzerland does not get the games, other applications could express interest.
Crans-Montana will also host the World Ski Championships in 2027
The concept envisages competitions in all parts of the country and language regions of Switzerland. In addition to Crans-Montana, competitions will take place in Geneva, Lausanne, Engelberg, Zurich, Zug, Lugano, Lenzerheide and St. Moritz. The last Winter Olympics took place in Switzerland in 1948, then in St. Moritz. Lausanne is planned for the opening ceremony and Bern for the closing ceremony.
Crans-Montana is an established venue for World Cup races. Crans-Montana will also host the Alpine Ski World Championships in 2027. In three weeks, just before the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, a World Cup race will take place in Crans-Montana.
A decentralized application from Switzerland was originally planned for 2026, with Crans-Montana also planned as a venue. In a referendum in the canton of Valais, a majority voted against financial support for the application and the games went to Italy.
DOSB wants applications for summer games
The German Olympic Sports Confederation, together with German politicians, is currently pushing forward an application for the Summer Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. Possible venues include Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and the Rhine-Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to current planning, the decision should be made in autumn 2026 as to which of the four applications should be submitted to the IOC.