Niseko Olympic Potential Strengthened But Maybe Delayed Following Sapporo Election

For those who want the Winter Olympics to come to Sapporo (and Niseko), the good news is that Sapporo’s pro-Olympics mayor has been reelected.

 

But that may mean that Sapporo will bid for the 2034, not the 2030, games.

Katsuhiro Akimoto was reelected for a third term on April 9th, defeating two relatively unknown candidates who ended up splitting the anti-Olympic vote.

Exit polls conducted by the Hokkaido Shimbun revealed that 60% of voters oppose the Olympic bid, with just under 35% in favour.

In multiple surveys, many locals have cited the bribery and bid-rigging scandals around the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021 as reason for their opposition.

Underscoring this is that before these scandals came to light in early 2022, a Sapporo city survey showed a slight majority of city residents supported the bid.

Akimoto san’s victory, while a victory for the pro-Olympic block, falls short of giving him a mandate to proceed with his goals.

Aware of this political reality, Akimoto san has said he is open to bidding for the 2034 Games instead, a position that is supported by the Japan Olympic Committee and its Chairman, Yasuhiro Yamashita.

Both Akimoto san and Yamashita san, in acknowledging the concerns of residents, have said that trust-building time may be needed in order to host what Akimoto san has called a “clean” Olympic Games.

If the Sapporo Olympics are held in 2030 or 2034, Niseko Village is the planned site of the Alpine Skiing events, including the Downhill, Super G, and Slalom competitions.

This may entail the creation of new courses and increasing the number of lifts and gondolas, among other infrastructure enhancements.

If the bid for the games is successful, the expected increased visitorship to the Niseko area will almost certainly spur further private investments ahead of the events.

And although many may feel disappointed by the idea of waiting another four years, there is a bright side to the Games being held in 2034 – by that year, it is expected that the Shinkansen will be running between Sapporo and Kutchan to serve them.

The Hokkaido Shinkansen expansion, due to open in fiscal year 2030, won’t arrive in time if Sapporo hosts the Olympics in 2030.

Sources:
Hokkaido Shimbun, April 9 2023
The Asahi Shimbun, April 10 2023

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