PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) – Getting bidders for the Olympics used to be easy, but no longer. That’s particularly true for the Winter Olympics.
Six European cities pulled out of official bids or decided not to bid at all when the IOC sought candidate cities a few years ago for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Cities balked over soaring costs, a lack of public support or political unrest. Beijing narrowly won and IOC officials say the process highlighted the difficulty in attracting potential hosts.
Just four cities have expressed interest in the 2026 Winter Games: Stockholm; Calgary, Canada; Sion, Switzerland; and Sapporo, Japan.
The International Olympic Committee says it needs to do a better job selling potential host cities on the benefits of the Olympics. Officials say they’re rethinking how the games are presented to bidders and sold to the public.
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