ORD-LJU

Right, but a joint bid, with costs shared by three countries, would be considerably less expensive and therefore potentially more acceptable to Austrian voters.

A new article about how Slovenia sees this proposal (autotranslated): https://www-rtvslo-si.translate.goog/sport/oi-2022/oks-navdusen-a-se-brez-podatkov-o-konkretni-vlogi-slovenije-v-igrah-treh-dezel/613026?_x_tr_sl=sl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Indeed. The Slovenian authorities aren't involved in the bilateral talks yet, but they're expected to join later on if (and that's a big "if") all the other pieces fall in place.

Here's an official press release from the Carinthian government: https://www.ktn.gv.at/Service/News?nid=33997 Autotranslated: https://www-ktn-gv-at.translate.goog/Service/News?nid=33997&_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Other people I've spoken to have noticed that as well, but it's still very early. I would imagine that at least both slaloms and one giant slalom would go to Kranjska Gora, as was the plan if Klagenfurt had won in 2006. Pokljuka is also a well-known and highly rated biathlon venue. Meanwhile, here's the very latest progress report from the Austrian public broadcaster: https://kaernten.orf.at/stories/3142810/ (German original) https://www-meinbezirk-at.translate.goog/kaernten/c-sport/plaene-fuer-olympia-austragung-werden-konkreter_a5154712?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc (autotranslation)

The Slovenian Olympics Committee has given a green light to a possible 2034 bid (autotranslated): https://www-delo-si.translate.goog/sport/peking-2022/do-iger-treh-dezel-2034-naklonjen-tudi-oks/?_x_tr_sl=sl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

This bid has a lot to do with European idealism. For much of the 20th century, these three countries were divided by politics, yet they are now EU partners, and they--especially (north-)western Slovenia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), and Carinthia (Austria)--form an interconnected region between the Alps and the Adriatic. It's not unusual for people in the area to have lunch in one country, go shopping in another, and then go back home to a third. It's also the only place where the three major European language groups--Germanic, Slavic, and Romance--converge, as do the continent's major physical features--the Alps, the Mediterranean, and the Pannonian Plain. In several respects, the area is Europe in miniature, and this idealistic (perhaps too idealistic) bid would underscore that.

Sounds interesting, but how would that work logistically, since Romania borders neither Slovenia nor Austria? Here's an update regarding the bid, an auto-translated article from the Slovenian public broadcaster; it looks like 2034 is indeed the year they're now aiming for: https://www-rtvslo-si.translate.goog/sport/koroski-dezelni-glavar-obudil-idejo-o-skupnih-olimpijskih-igrah-v-avstriji-italiji-in-sloveniji/611329?_x_tr_sl=sl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Probably. One of the commentators in the report mentioned that 2034 may be more realistic.

Earlier tonight, I saw a report on Austrian television that several influential people, including high-ranking politicians from the Austrian state of Carinthia, are trying to revive the idea of a joint Austrian-Slovenian-Italian bid for the Winter Games. The bid would presumably be centered around the towns of Klagenfurt, Kranjska Gora, and Tarvisio. Yes, two previous joint bids involving these three countries failed to convince the voters, but much has changed in the meantime. Slovenia is now a EU member, a part of the Eurozone, and a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, which has eliminated all border controls between the three countries. The Games would rely on existing infrastructure, ranging from the many hotels in the area to sports facilities such as the recently opened state-of-the-art Planica Nordic Center. This would make the event far more environmentally (and financially) responsible than hosting it somewhere where all the infrastructure has to be built from scratch. The joint bid would also underscore the progress this region--and Europe as a whole--has made to move on from the time when politics and hard borders divided people and nations. Is this a pipe dream or a plausible bid? What do you think? Would you like to see this become reality?