Sapporo to tell IOC plan to give up bidding for 2026 Winter Olympics

The northern Japan city of Sapporo intends to tell the International Olympic Committee early next week that it plans to give up bidding for the Winter Olympics in 2026, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday, with the city now aiming to stage the Games in 2030.Sapporo, which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, has been asking for the extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line to the city earlier than the currently planned spring of 2031 and hopes to build infrastructure for the Olympics in line with the bullet train project, the source said.Sapporo Deputy Mayor Takatoshi Machida is exp…READ FULL ARTICLE