Now that Torino 2006 has been written into the Olympic history books and the Olympic Torch handed over to Vancouver for 2010, focus turns to the bids for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
According to the current procedure, the process leading to the election of the host city for the Olympic Winter Games consists of two phases: Phase 1 for Applicant Cities and Phase 2 for Candidate Cities.
Since the IOC launched the 2014 bid process in May 2005, seven cities have applied for the XXII Olympic Winter Games. These seven cities are: Almaty (KAZ), Borjomi (GEO), Jaca (SPA), PyeongChang (KOR), Salzburg (AUT), Sochi (RUS), and Sofia (BUL). All the Applicant Cities submitted their replies to a questionnaire prepared by the IOC by 1st February, 2006. The cities’ dossiers are currently being studied by a panel of technical experts tasked to help draft a shortlist of the candidates. This analysis is focused on several areas, including the potential of the cities and their countries to host the Olympics, the motivation of the bid, and the applicant’s vision for the 2014 Games.
The decision on which cities will become Candidate Cities will be taken by the IOC Executive Board at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 22nd June 2006. There are expected to be 3-4 Candidate Cities. The Candidate Cities will then be asked submit their Candidature Files to the IOC by January 10, 2007. The final decision on the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be taken by the IOC Session in Guatemala City in July 2007.
Source: FIS
