Sapporo's bid to host Winter Olympics faces potential postponement

TOKYO -- Sapporo's bid to host the Winter Olympics in northern Japan may be pushed back from 2030 to 2034, the Japanese Olympic Committee's president said.

The head of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Yasuhiro Yamashita, said that local opposition to the event in Sapporo, the potential host city in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, was strong.

He said many people are opposed to the city hosting the Games due to the ongoing bribery and bid-rigging scandals that continue to plague the memory of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to a year later because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's hard to go ahead with the original bid plan without gaining people's understanding," Yamashita said on Monday, adding that many local residents are "concerned and anxious."

A recent exit poll conducted by Jiji News of voters in Sapporo's recent mayoral election revealed that 53 percent are opposed to hosting the Games, 27 percent were in favor, and 20 percent had no opinions.

The indictment of major Japanese advertising firms, a high-profile ex-Olympic organizing committee executive, and a host of other Japanese individuals and entities connected to an expansive bid-rigging operation has irreversibly tarnished the image of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games held in 2021.

The city of Sapporo has said it will not hold a public referendum on hosting the Games.