PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Wanted: A city to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Getting bidders for the Olympics used to be easy. But no longer, and particularly for the Winter Games.
Six European cities pulled out of official bids or possible bids when the IOC sought candidates a few years ago for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Cities balked over soaring costs, political unrest or a lack of public support as expressed in referendums.
That left the IOC with only two proposals, both from authoritarian governments that backed cities devoid of winter sports traditions: Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Beijing, China.