Catalonia rules out Winter Olympics bid
"There is no possibility" of Barcelona and Pyrenees hosting event, according to presidency minister
The Catalan government has definitively ruled out hosting the Winter Olympics in the near future.
Presidency minister Laura Vilagrà confirmed on Tuesday that the executive has already decided against bidding for upcoming games.
According to Vilagrà, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already awarded the next two editions of the Winter Olympics to other venues and, therefore, "there is no possibility" that Catalonia can host them.
The presidency minister said that the IOC has chosen France and the United States as the next hosts of the Winter Olympics, for 2030 and 2034.
On Saturday, the secretary of the Department of Climate Action, Anna Barnadas, told Catalunya Ràdio that the effects of climate change and the drought currently affecting Catalonia, including ski resorts, makes it very "difficult" for the Winter Olympics to be "celebrated at latitudes like Catalonia's."
Her statements were welcomed by environmentalists including the group Stop JJOO (Stop the Olympic Games), set up in Catalonia in opposition to a potential bid.
The Spanish government ruled out a 2030 Winter Games bid in Catalonia and Aragon in June 2022, but the Catalan executive then announced the possibility of proceeding alone.
Listen to the podcast below from February 2022 to hear how Catalonia was divided on whether to put itself forward as host for 2030.