IOC weighs rotating host cities for Winter Olympics

• Salt Lake City previously hosted in 2002 and Sapporo hosted in 1972.

What they're saying: The committee said it will seriously consider a rotation of hosts as it examines the impact of climate change on winter sports, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

• With this change, Salt Lake City, if selected, could host the Olympics every 20–30 years.

Between the lines: One proposal to ensure climate reliability would require host cities to have an average temperature at or below zero over a 10-year period. Salt Lake City organizers say they'd meet those requirements through at least 2050.

• "The rotation actually is an intriguing opportunity because we have everything in place," Fraser Bullock, the CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, told the Tribune.
• "We have different economics than a new city that doesn't have venues in place. We have the expertise ... we have competitions all the time."

Looking ahead: Two Italian cities — Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo — are still set to co-host the 2026 Winter Games.