IOC President Thomas Bach had outlined the challenges faced by climate change for winter sport, claiming only a select number of countries would be able to stage the Winter Olympics and Paralympics by 2040, down from 15 at present.

"By 2040, there remain, practically, just 10 National Olympic Committees who could host these snow events of the Olympic Winter Games," Bach said. 

"From these numbers it becomes even clearer that we need to address very quickly this dramatic impact of climate change on winter sport in the Winter Games."

Bach revealed hopes to award both the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics at the IOC Session before next year's Olympics in Paris, subject to approval from the Session in Mumbai.

It would follow a similar plan in 2017 when, at the IOC Session in Lima, Paris was awarded the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and Los Angeles the 2028 edition.

In July last year, Bach had downplayed the prospect of a double award for 2030 and 2034 for reasons of "good governance", but warmed to the idea at the end of the year following the delay the 2030 bidding process to "create stability for winter sport".

To announce a decision next year, would require the IOC Executive Board to enter targeted dialogue with hosts at its final meeting of the year from November 28 to December 1 in the French capital.

The plan had initially been to award the 2030 Winter Olympics at this Session in India's economic capital due to start on Sunday (October 15).

They were forced to push this back due to issues with the prospective hosts.

Sweden emerged as a contender earlier this year to make a renewed bid and France has put together what appears an increasingly well-backed proposal centred around Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes' and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

Stockholm and Åre in Sweden had bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, but was defeated in 2019 by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo - the country's eighth unsuccessful bid for the event.

Both Sweden and France could potentially face a challenge from a nationwide Swiss bid, which it was revealed last week is backed by more than half the country's population.

Swedish Olympic Committee President Hans von Uthmann welcomed the news of the double award for 2030 and 2034.

"We welcome the IOC Executive Board's proposal," he said.

"It's good that we now know which Games we can compete for. 

"Sweden has been clear from the beginning that we would like to have the Games in 2030."

Von Uthmann added: "The ambition for the Olympics and Paralympics in Sweden is the world's most sustainable Games, where a new standard for the future is set ecologically, socially and economically."

A complication to awarding the Games at the Session in Paris is, under the rules of the Olympic Charter, such a decision cannot be taken at an IOC Session where the host is bidding.

That means the IOC could be required to call an Extraordinary Session if France is the one proposed. 

Salt Lake City in the United States has long made its preference for the 2034 Winter Olympics over the 2030 edition clear to avoid a close clash with the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. 

The city had previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002, an event overshadowed by a major bribery scandal during the bid process that led to the expulsion of several IOC members.

Long-time frontrunner for 2030 in Sapporo has officially ended its interest, after a collapse in public support in Japan following the Tokyo 2020 corruption scandals.

It seems unlikely any sort of campaign could be resurrected in time to come back with a proposal for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Earlier in the process, bids for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games from Barcelona and Vancouver were also abandoned due to lack of public support. 

Bach also claimed the IOC Future Host Commission has already begun working on a strategy that will include "deliberations on rotation, the composition of the programme, the different needs for sports on ice and snow and many others".

"The Future Host Commission reported that the studies are works in progress and the final results will be presented in due course, but the preliminary results already show that we need to adapt the Olympic Winter Games given the impact of climate change. In collaboration with the winter sports community, we need to look for solutions for the future," he said.