The IOC offers the following Video News Release to all news agencies, broadcasters and online news platforms free of charge. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach met in Lausanne, Switzerland, (Saturday, Jan 11th) with a delegation from the city of Sapporo, Japan, and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC). The Mayor of Sapporo, Katsuhiro Akimoto, informed President Bach and Octavian Morariu, Chair of the IOC Future Host Winter Commission, about the discussions his city has been holding with the JOC to formalise an interest to host the Olympic Winter Games, 2030.  The JOC President, Yasuhiro Yamashita, elected as IOC Member on Friday January 10th,  was also present at the meeting. The IOC was impressed with the motivation for Sapporo’s interest, which already meets some of the priorities for future Games delivery, in particular winter editions, by addressing legacy and climate change. The IOC’s new approach for future host elections establishes a continuous dialogue with interested parties and provides additional flexibility regarding potential Games hosts; the location of venues and election timings, which are adjusted to ongoing context and needs and not necessarily seven years before each Games edition.