The meeting room is prepared ahead of the opening of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, December 3, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - The 2034 soccer World Cup, which is expected to be held in Saudi Arabia and possibly in the cooler months, is unlikely to clash with the Salt Lake City winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia is the lone bidder for 2034 World Cup with global soccer body FIFA to vote on it next week.
FIFA has said the Saudi bid did not stipulate a proposed window for the World Cup but they would collaborate with stakeholders to "determine the optimal timing" for the tournament given the country's hot climate.
The IOC, however, has no concerns over a potential clash with the Salt Lake City winter Games to be held from Feb. 10-26, 2034.
"This is going to be for sports fans a real feast during a period of three or four months where you will have these two events," Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi told a press conference.
"I think the risk of having those two (events) in parallel is immensely limited. With these two in different countries and continents, from all standpoints, including a commercial one, we have virtually no risk," he said.
"A lot of sports consumption on any platform or any channel, we don't see at this stage any major issue. On the contrary it is a lot of sport in this time frame."
Due to the Saudi Arabia's desert climate, the 2034 World Cup is very likely to be pushed to a winter slot -- just as FIFA did with the 2022 edition in neighbouring Qatar which held the event from late November to mid-December.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Toby Davis)
