Beijing selected to host 2022 Winter Olympics, defeating Almaty in IOC vote
Posted Jul 31, 2015 06:05:39 AM.
Last Updated Jul 31, 2015 06:44:20 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Stephen Wilson, The Associated Press
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Beijing has been selected to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city awarded both the Winter and Summer Games.
Beijing defeated Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a vote of the International Olympic Committee today. The voting numbers were not immediately released.
The Chinese capital, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, came in as the favourite. Despite a lack of natural snow and winter conditions, Beijing was seen by the IOC as a reliable and safe choice.
Almaty had hoped to bring the games to Central Asia for the first time and raise Kazakhstan’s profile on the international stage.
Beijing and Almaty were both considered longshots when the 2022 bid race opened two years ago. But they were the only two candidates left after four European cities — including Oslo and Stockholm — pulled out for political or financial reasons.
