A Turin council assembly session
that was meant to discuss the proposal for the city to bid to
host the Winter Olympics again in 2026 was scuppered on Monday
following a split within the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement
(M5S).
The absence of several M5S councillors, combined with no
shows by members of parties in the opposition in the council,
meant that the assembly failed to reach a quorum for the first
time since the anti-establishment group took power in the city
in 2016.
M5S Mayor Chaiara Appendino said Monday her council was not
bidding for the 2026 Winter Olympics but would issue a
"manifestation of interest".
"It's not a bid, it's a manifestation of interest," she said.
"On Wednesday, we will show the city's interest with a
letter to CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee)," she said.
Then, when the IOC makes its conditions known by July, "at
that point we'll decide what to do".
Turin successfully hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006.
In 2016 the M5S administration in Rome sank the Italian
capital's bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics.
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