The first 2026 Winter Olympic bid comes from Sion, Switzerland.
The southwestern Switzerland town’s candidature was confirmed by the Swiss Parliament of Sport on Tuesday. The Swiss Olympic Committee heralds it as “the Games in the heart of Switzerland.”
Sion, with a population listed around 30,000, could be the smallest Olympic host city since Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994. The Sion bid includes some events potentially being held in Bern, Lausanne and St. Moritz. More information is here (French, German).
“This clear message from Swiss sport is very important to us,” Swiss Olympic president Juerg Stahl said in a press release after a unanimous vote of approval.