Sapporo looking to bid for 2026 Winter Olympics

SAPPORO, Japan -- The mayor of Sapporo has announced his city's intention to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Sapporo, on Japan's northernmost island Hokkaido, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972.

Sapporo mayor Fumio Ueda told a city assembly meeting Thursday that ''hosting the Winter Games will lead Sapporo to a new stage.''

The announcement comes at a time when public opinion in some European cities has turned against bidding for the Olympics in light of the $51 billion price tag associated with the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

The Japanese Olympic Committee will decide in 2016 which city will bid to host the event before International Olympic Committee members make their selection in 2019.

Pyeongchang, South Korea will host the 2018 Winter Games while Tokyo is the venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics.