SAPPORO: The northern Japan city of Sapporo will consider the option of bidding to host the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto has said.

The capital of Hokkaido is preparing to bid for the 2030 Games. But local residents are divided over whether the city should host the event following the revelation of corruption and bid-rigging scandals over the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held in 2021.

“Whether we’ll aim for the 2030 Games or change our target to later Games will be discussed with the Japanese Olympic Committee and sports associations,” Akimoto told Jiji Press on Monday.

Sapporo will make a decision by taking into consideration moves by other cities aiming to host Winter Games and an extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen bullet train line to Sapporo slated for fiscal 2030, he also said.

Akimoto was re-elected in Sunday’s mayoral election, defeating two rival candidates opposing the plan to bid for the 2030 Games. But the two rivals earned over 40 percent of the votes cast in the election.

“Those for and against are nearly equally divided. We can’t proceed without the understanding of our citizens,” Akimoto said.

In Tokyo, JOC President Yasuhiro Yamashita expressed support for Akimoto, saying, “We’re thinking about almost the same thing.”

“It has become clear that many citizens are concerned and uneasy” about the Games, Yamashita added.

JIJI Press