Olympic hosting bid rejected by Swiss voters

A Swiss push for hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics faced a setback when voters rejected a proposal for a CHF 25 million financial contribution that would have allowed the Swiss state of Graubünden to prepare a bid for the 2026 Winter Games. The proposal was rejected by 60,1 pct. of the voters.

The Swiss business community and local government backed the proposal for financial contribution saying that a major event, such as the Winter Games, would boost the local economy, renew the region’s infrastructure and boost tourism, according to the Swiss news agency Swissinfo. However, opponents criticized the campaign for the proposal for being too one-sided in favour of funding the bid. 

The Swiss parliament will decide in April whether to submit a bid to the International Olympic Committee to support the town of Sion as 2026 Olympic candidate. The International Olympic Committee will choose a host for the 2026 Winter Olympics in 2019.