IOC demands guarantees for Swedish 2026 Olympic bid
The HinduThe International Olympic Committee said it had asked Stockholm for clarifications over financial backing for its bid to stage the 2026 Winter Olympics. Just days before the IOC votes on Monday on whether to award the Games to Stockholm/Are or rival Italian bid Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo, the IOC wants more information from the Swedish bid, according to Christophe Dubi, the IOC's sports director. "We received a number of non-binding letters of intent and guarantees, these do not represent binding commitments and therefore put Olympic village delivery at risk," said a letter that the IOC sent to the Stockholm bid on June 14. Dubi said the exchanges concerned improving the bids after the IOC's Evaluation Commission reports released on May 24 identified flaws. Later Wednesday, Stockholm 2026 bid chief Richard Brisius, downplayed the significance of the IOC's request.