Alexander Zhukov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), has said the country could bid to host the 2028 summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Russia staged the 2014 winter Games in the city of Sochi and has recently been linked with a bid for a future edition of the summer Games.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country could target the summer Games, adding that a number of cities, including Sochi and Moscow, would be suitable to host the sporting spectacle.
Speaking to the Tass news agency, Zhukov (pictured) yesterday (Thursday) reiterated Putin’s comments about the number of potential host cities in Russia and that the country is “seriously” considering a Games bid.
“Potentially, Russia may hold the 2028 Summer Olympic Games,” Zhukov said. “The event can be hosted not only by Moscow and St. Petersburg but also by Kazan and Sochi. This does not mean that bids will be submitted tomorrow but Russia has proved by hosting the 2014 Olympics that it can hold such large-scale events.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already said that it will select a host city for the 2024 Olympics at the IOC Session in Lima, Peru, on September 13 this year. Los Angeles and Paris are the two cities in the running for 2024, but the IOC has not yet confirmed whether a decision will be made this year regarding the 2028 Games.
“A host country for the 2024 Games will be elected at the IOC general assembly in Peru,” said Zhukov, who is also an IOC member. “There are two bids: one from Los Angeles and the other from Paris. It is now being seriously discussed that the hosts for both Olympiads will be elected in September, i.e. these two cities will share the years 2024 and 2028.
“Then a bid can only be filed for 2032 but this, like the discussion of Russian cities that can host the Olympics, is a purely hypothetical thing. No bids have been submitted.”
