Two figures from Geneva’s hospitality industry have launched a committee to explore hosting the games in 11 years.

Tribune de Genève

Group aims for 2018 Winter Olympics
10:52 Two figures from Geneva’s hospitality industry have launched a committee to explore hosting the games in 11 years.




Organizers are today unveiling a bid by Geneva to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Hotelier Marco Torriani, manager of the Hôtel du Rhône and Jean-Pierre Jobin, president of Genève Tourisme, have launched an exploratory committee with SFr200,000 in funding from Sport-Toto, the Basel-based sports betting company. “Seventy years after the Olympic Games of St. Moritz, it would be marvelous to organize them again in Switzerland,” said Torriani, a native of Davos and son of the well-known Swiss hockey player Bibi Torriani.

“The Olympic Games are an incredible calling card, above all for a country that lives a lot around its mountain resorts.” The pair has already contacted ski operators in Vaud and Valais about the possible venture. Switzerland last tried for the Winter Olympics held in 2006, which it hoped to host in Sion (Valais), but the event was awarded to Turin, Italy. The possibility of launching a bid in conjunction with a ski hill in neighboring France appears to be out of the question, given the reluctance of Olympic authorities to award games to more than one country at a time.

Torriani and Jobin hope to stir interest in their project with press conferences today in Geneva and Zurich. The Tribune de Genève today devotes two pages to the proposal. The newspaper mentions Crans-Montana as a possible venue for skiing and suggests the 30,000-seat Geneva stadium could be used for opening ceremonies. But at least one new facility would have to be built – the Vernets rink is not considered adequate for Olympic ice hockey matches.