IOC official open to back-to-back World Cup in Saudi Arabia and Salt Lake Olympics in early 2034

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The Olympic rings are pictured front of the Olympic House before the opening of the executive board meeting of the IOC, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

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International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, right, speaks at the opening of the executive board meeting of the IOC, at the Olympic House, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

By GRAHAM DUNBAR

GENEVA (AP) — Scheduling the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia back-to-back with the 2034 Salt Lake City Winter Games would pose “no risk” to the Olympics, a senior IOC official said Tuesday.

“We don’t see at this stage a major issue. On the contrary, it is a lot of sport in the time frame,” Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee executive director for the games, said at an online briefing after a board meeting, suggesting two major sports events close together would be “a real feast” for fans.

Dubi’s comments suggested January 2034 is surprisingly open for FIFA and Saudi Arabia to stage soccer’s marquee event despite a near-clash with the Salt Lake City Olympics that aims to have an opening ceremony on Feb. 10 that year.

Playing a World Cup in January 2022 was not option when FIFA and future tournament host Qatar — in the planning stages a decade ago — needed to find cooler months to avoid the searing Middle East heat in June and July.

Before deciding in 2015 to play in Qatar in November-December 2022, FIFA understood from Olympic officials it would be unacceptable to move too close to the 2022 Winter Games.

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Those Olympics eventually were hosted in Beijing, opening on Feb. 4.

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Saudi Arabia will be confirmed next week by FIFA as host of a 2034 World Cup that cannot realistically be played in summer months when temperature routinely exceeds 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

The new 48-team, 104-game World Cup format takes 38 days to play.

Asked if the IOC wants January and early February to be off limits for FIFA in 2034 to protect Salt Lake City, Dubi said: “I think that the risk of having those two in parallel is immensely limited.”

“From all standpoints, including a commercial one, we have actually virtually no risk,” he said. “This is going to be for sports fans a real feast during a period of whatever it is, three, four months, where you are going to have these two events.”

Saudi Arabia currently has excellent relations — politically and financially — with FIFA and IOC to resolve the scheduling issue.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has built a close working relationship over several years with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the IOC this year sealed a 12-year deal for the kingdom to host the new Esports Olympics.

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More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games and AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Olympic Hightlights

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FILE - South Africa’s Jacques Freitag competes in the men’s high jump of the 2004 Olympic Games, in the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Friday Aug. 20, 2004. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

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FILE - Ilona Maher of USA is tackled by Sharni Williams of Australia in a semifinal of the Rugby World Cup 7’s championship held in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The main task for Maher, the breakout social media star on TikTok at the Tokyo Olympics, is winning a medal in Paris. (AP Photo/Halden Krog, File)

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FILE - Jacques Freitag of South Africa waves his national flag after he won the Men’s high jump event at the World Athletics Championships, at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Monday, Aug. 25, 2003. Local media is reporting that South African police have discovered the body of former high jump world champion Jacques Freitag after he went missing last month. The reports said the 42-year-old, who won the 2003 world title in Paris and competed at the 2004 Olympics, had been shot. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File)

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Sammy Sullivan of USA in action during HSBC rugby sevens series in Singapore, on May 4, 2024. The anthem played as Army officer Sammy Sullivan stood to attention and saluted beside her U.S. rugby teammates before a gold-medal game in Hong Kong against Olympic champion New Zealand. No prizes for guessing where her mind may have drifted to: Paris in July. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah)

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USA Water Polo Women’s Senior National Team attacker Ryann Neushul, left, trains at Long Beach City College Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Long Beach, Calif. Following in the footsteps of two older sisters who won gold with the U.S. women’s water polo team, Ryann Neushul is making her Olympic debut in Paris this summer. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym, in Pioltello , northern Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

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FILE - Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands competes during the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Vienna 2022 men’s semifinal game against Austria at the Red Bull Beach Arena in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Van de Velde, convicted and imprisoned eight years ago for raping an underage girl in England has qualified for the Paris Olympics. (AP Photo/Florian Schroetter, File)