The IOC has confirmed that six cities "are to bid" to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, according to the PA. The cities are: Almaty (Kazakhstan), Beijing (China), Krakow (Poland), Lviv (Ukraine), Oslo (Norway), and Stockholm (Sweden). That is "twice as many" as bid to host the 2018 Winter Games. IOC President Thomas Bach said that "he was delighted with the interest." The final vote will take place at the IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015 (PA, 11/15). The AP reported "notably missing are any contenders from the traditional Alpine countries of Europe, where voters in Switzerland and Germany rejected proposed bids because of concerns over high costs and the environment." The new bidding "comes amid concerns" over the costs of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where the overall price tag is more than $50B -- "a record for any summer or winter Olympics." Senior Norwegian IOC member Gerhard Heiberg said, "Maybe some of the investments we have seen in Sochi with $50 billion has scared some people away. I felt that when Switzerland pulled out and I felt even stronger when all the four constituents in Germany said no" (AP, 11/15).
