Ostersund’s Mayor Jens Nilsson is hoping that a European city doesn’t win the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games so that Ostersund Sweden can bid for the 2018 Games. He said the government was scared off from a 2014 bid although the city was ready at that time.
One of Ostersund’s attributes for an Olympic Winter bid, according to De Weldt, is that Lake Storsjon freezes up and temperatures in Sweden can go below minus 20 degrees.
Also the country’s national training centre is established in Ostersund and 75 per cent of the top sports in Sweden are located in the area.
The Biathlon world champions are taking place in the country this year and according to Josefin Leander of the organizing committee, last year Biathlon was the fastest growing sport in Sweden.
The newspaper reports that Ostersund has the infrastructure to host the Games. It has its own airport at Froson and a stadium in the centre of the city that can be reached on foot.
Ostersund plans to host large sports competition to promote itself throughout Europe as a tourist centre.
