Austria, Slovenia and Italy propose joint Winter Olympics bid, hoping to replace Swiss proposal for 2038 edition

Governor Massimiliano Fedriga of the Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia and Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon met last Friday for a joint cooperation meeting in Trieste, near the shared border between the two nations. They proposed working on a bid to host a post-2034 Winter Olympics with Austria which borders the two nations to the north.

"We have agreed to start working on a joint bid by Friuli Venezia Giulia, Austria and Slovenia for the 2034 Winter Olympics," Fedriga said during a press conference following the meeting.

"I agree with this proposal," Fajon added, according to news agency ANSA.

"It is an excellent idea for Italy, Austria and Slovenia to bid together".

Italy is currently organizing the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina and previously staged the event in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Torino in 2006. Austria staged the event in Innsbruck in 1964 and 1976 - but has failed in five straight bids to bring the Games back.

Slovenia has never hosted the Olympics.

Venues at Tarvisio in Friuli, Villach and Klagenfurt in Austria, and Kranjska Gora and Planica in Slovenia have been named for the possible plan.

The IOC last November named preferred candidates French Alps to host in 2030 and Salt Lake City to stage in 2034. Though those projects are not yet official, they are expected to by elected at the all-members Session ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 24.

The new European Trio are hoping to target 2038, but those Games are currently reserved for Switzerland in an exclusive Privileged Dialogue that gives the nation until the end of 2027 to meet the hosting requirements set by the IOC. Only if that time expires or Swiss officials back out will the IOC discuss the edition with other regions.

In the meantime, according to the rules the IOC can entertain Italy, Austria and Slovenia in its ongoing dialogue for any future Games beginning in 2042.

The Winter Olympics have never been hosted simultaneously in two or more nations, but that could change in 2026. Italy has planned to rebuild the Eugenio Monti sliding track in Cortina d'Ampezzo but aggressive and risky construction plans over a short timeframe has forced the organizing committee to consider alternate venues across the border. Nearby St. Moritz, Switzerland; Innsbruck, Austria and Germany are potential plan B's to host bobsled, luge and skeleton. Lake Placid in the United States has also put in a bid.