Olympics Committee Broadens Rules for Host Cities

The list of prospective Olympics host cities may soon grow, as the International Olympics Committee announced 40 new recommendations for the 2020 games that include allowing some events to take place outside of the city itself or even, “in exceptional circumstances,” largely due to sustainability reasons, outside of the host country.

This would mostly impact the summer games, as the winter Olympics already allows events to take place in bordering countries.

“These 40 recommendations are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement. “When you put them together, a picture emerges that shows the IOC safeguarding the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and strengthening sport in society.”

The “Olympic Agenda 2020” also put forth recommendations that would decrease the seven-year approval timeline to allow new sports to enter the games, and the introduction of an official Olympic broadcast TV channel.