This Friday sees the start of the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Asia, in the city of Gangwon on the northern tip of South Korea. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 19 January, 2024, and will be held simultaneously at the Gangneung Oval and the PyeongChang Dome.

Laura Vilagrà, councillor for the presidency of the Generalitat, has ruled out the possibility of Catalonia bidding for the Winter Olympics, a project that was stalled after the Spanish Olympic Committee declared the negotiations with Aragon over the sharing of venues a failure, and which is now being abandoned in the context of the climate emergency.

Global warming affects every aspect of life, including sport and top-level athletics. The problem is getting worse every year, and unless there is a 180-degree turn in the policies of the IOC and politicians in general, the Gangwon Youth Games in 2024 or the Milano-Cortina Games in 2026 will be remembered as the last in the current format.

Despite the twists and turns, Italy's sports ministers have ruled out hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina outside the host country.

Sapporo city will halt efforts to bring the Winter Games to northern Japan, according to local media reports.

Italy is adamant that the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games will remain in Italy. Matteo Salvini, Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, reiterated last Friday that the sliding events at the Milan-Cortina event should take place in Italy.

The construction of a new sliding track for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events at the 2026 Winter Olympics is once again a possibility, after it had faded away some time ago.

Following the unanimous support of Swiss sport, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that it is also convinced of the potential of the Swiss Olympic project. The IOC has included Switzerland in a "privileged dialogue" for the organisation of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2038.

Differing opinions have arisen regarding the location for the sliding center that will host bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton events at Milano-Cortina 2026. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) insists on a foreign venue with a functioning track, while the Italian government considers reopening an old track in Cesana Torinese.

Salt Lake City's bid, approved by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee in December 2018, emphasizes the legacy of the 2002 Olympic Games, years of event organizing experience, and substantial popular and institutional support. Consequently, the IOC invited Utah to the 'targeted dialogue' phase.

At first glance, there is no immediate concern, as the International Olympic Committee selected France on Wednesday, beating out two other contenders, Sweden and Switzerland, to enter into "targeted dialogue" about hosting the 2030 Winter Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday confirmed the French Alps and Salt Lake City-Utah as the sole candidates to host the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games.

The city of Stockholm said on Tuesday that it supported Sweden's bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, with the capital and its surrounding areas tipped to host some of the main events.

The Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and the Swedish Government are convinced of the importance that hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030 would have for the tourism and sports industries. They will provide the necessary support and financial guarantees for Sweden's bid to host the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2030.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reserved judgement in the case of Kamila Valieva, the young Russian figure skater who tested positive in late 2021 and whose case came to light during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.