Bids for the 2014 Winter Olympics


Seven applicant cities presented bids to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC Executive Board shortlisted three cities—Sochi, Russia; Salzburg, Austria; and Pyeongchang, South Korea—with Sochi winning the IOC's July 2007 final vote.
The three selected candidates, chosen on 22 June 2006, delivered to the IOC their Candidature Files on 10 January 2007. From February to April 2007, an ad hoc committee performed visits to the candidate cities and prepared an evaluation report which was released one month before the election.
The election by exhaustive ballot took place on 4 July 2007 in Guatemala City during the 119th IOC Session; Sochi beat out Pyeongchang by four votes in the second round of voting to win the rights to host after Salzburg had been eliminated in the first round.

Candidature procedure and timeline

Phase 1: Candidature acceptance procedure

Bidding cities had to be approved by their national Olympic committees, which have the right to choose between several cities in their respective countries. The cities had to submit their applications to the IOC by 28 July 2005. The cities were asked to complete a questionnaire, which they had to submit to the IOC by 1 February 2006. An IOC Working Group then studied their answers in order to help the executive board members select the cities which became candidate cities and went through to the second phase of the process. The executive board of IOC accepted three bids on 22 June 2006.

Phase 2: Candidature procedure

The candidate cities were invited to submit their candidature file, which is a detailed description of their Olympic plans, and to prepare for a visit by the IOC Evaluation Commission. This commission undertook a technical analysis of each candidature and then produced a report, which was to be published one month before the host city election and sent to the IOC members for study. The candidature files were submitted on 10 January 2007. The IOC Evaluation Committee visited the candidate cities in February–March 2007 and published its report on 4 June.
During the 119th IOC Session on 4 July 2007 in Guatemala City, Salzburg received 25 votes, Pyeongchang received 36 votes, and Sochi received 34 votes in the first round of the IOC voting procedure. In the second round, Pyeongchang received 47 votes, but Sochi received 51 votes and was therefore chosen as the host of the 2014 Olympics.

Evaluation of the applicant cities

Each cell of the table provides a minimum and a maximum figure obtained by the applicant city on the specific criteria. These figures are to be compared to a benchmark which has been set at 6.


All three cities suggested hosting the Games between February 7–23, 2014. The Paralympics will be held from March 7–16.

Pyeongchang

Pyeongchang was unanimously selected over Muju by the Korean Olympic Committee in December 2004, and was the first city to submit its bid to the International Olympic Committee. The bid launched a full-scale campaign after losing the 2010 race by a mere three votes to Vancouver. The 2014 project concentrated all venues within one hour of Pyeongchang, and called for huge sums of investment into new infrastructure and sporting venues, including the new Alpensia Resort. Moreover, the sporting event was touted as promoting a message of peace and harmony in the divided country.
Since 2003, the region had been selected to host the 2009 Snowboard World Championships, the 2009 Biathlon World Championships and the 2009 World Women's Curling Championship, and aimed to become the winter sports hub of Asia. Although an IOC evaluation team complimented the area on levels of public support, government support, and infrastructure in February 2007, the bid was also criticized because Pyeongchang was not a popular tourist destination, the venue relied heavily on artificial snow due to a dry winter climate, most slopes were relatively short, and local amenities were poorly developed. Pyeongchang was eventually chosen to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Salzburg

The Austrian city was eliminated in the first round in voting during the 2010 competition. The 2014 bid was more compact than the 2010 project due to the elimination of the Kitzbühel, St. Johann and Ramsau venues. The venue for bobsled, skeleton and luge, Schönau am Königssee, was located in Germany.

Sochi

The Russian Black Sea resort bid for the Winter Olympics for the second time after failing to make the shortlist in 2002. The primary venue for outdoor sports was the ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana, designed by the same company who worked on ski slopes for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and scheduled to open in 2007. Sochi would host the indoor winter sports. The high number of hotel rooms and strong public and political support from the city were expected to strengthen the bid's chances.
Note: the cities are listed in the presentation order determined by draw during the IOC Executive Board meeting of 26 October 2005.

Applicant cities overview

The following applicant cities have been approved by their National Olympic Committees and submitted their applications to the IOC, but were not selected as candidates by the executive board. They all sent their respective questionnaire answers by 1 February 2006. These documents have been made public in the following days.
Note: the cities are listed in the presentation order determined by draw during the IOC Executive Board meeting of 26 October 2005.

Applicant cities comparison

*Airports not included
Note: the cities are listed in the presentation order defined by the IOC during its Executive Board of 26 October 2005.

Applicant cities venues list

These venues are from the applicant cities' mini bid books. Note that the selected candidate cities, and in particular Sochi, have changed their venues plan afterwards in the final proposal to the IOC.
EventSochiSalzburgJacaAlmatyPyeongchangSofiaBorjomi
Dates7 February
23 February		7 February
23 February		31 January
16 February		7 February
23 February		7 February
23 February		10 February
26 February		7 February
23 February
Opening and closing ceremoniesFisht Olympic StadiumWals Siezenheim StadiumLa Romareda, ZaragozaAlmaty Central StadiumAlpensiaVasil Levski National StadiumCeremony Plaza
Alpine skiing
speed M		Roza Khutor Alpine ResortFlachauwinklFormigalKumbelJungbong Alpine Skiing AreaShiligarnik Borjomi Didveli
Sakvelo Track
Alpine skiing
speed W		Roza Khutor Alpine ResortAltenmarkt / ZauchenseeFormigalKumbelJungbong Alpine Skiing AreaShiligarnik Borjomi Didveli
Sakvelo Track
Alpine skiing
technical M		Roza Khutor Alpine ResortFlachauCandanchúKumbelYongpyong ResortBanderishka Poliana Borjomi Didveli
Alpine skiing
technical W		Roza Khutor Alpine ResortFlachauCandanchúKumbelYongpyong ResortBanderishka Poliana Borjomi Didveli
Cross country skiingPsekhako RidgeRadstadt / AltenmarktCandanchúSoldatskoe ValleyAlpensiaBorovetzBakuriani Iagora Valley
Nordic combined C-CPsekhako RidgeBischofshofenCandanchúGorny GigantAlpensiaBorovetzBorjomi Kokhtadziri
Freestyle skiingLaura River Valley ResortFlachauwinklAstúnKumbelBokwang PhoenixCherveno Zname Bakuriani Kokhta 2 Tatra Pom
BiathlonPsekhako RidgeRadstadt / AltenmarktCandanchúSoldatskoe ValleyAlpensiaBanderishka Poliana Borjomi Iagora Valley
Ski jumpingEsto SadokBischofshofenCanfranc-Estación Jumping CentreGorny GigantAlpensiaBorovetzBorjomi Kokhtadziri
SnowboardAlpika ServiceAltenmarkt / Zauchensee
Flachau		PanticosaChimbulakSungwoo ResortCherveno Zname Bakuriani Kokhta 2 Tatra Pom
HockeySochi Arena
Kudepsta Entertainment Centre		Salzburg Volksgarten
Salzburg Wals		Jaca Ice Pavilion
Huesca Sports Palace
Zaragoza Ice Pavilion		Almaty Olympic Ice ParkWonju Sports Complex
Wonju Halla University		National Winter Sports Palace
West Park Sports Center 		Tbilisi Makhata Hill Arenas
Speed skatingAdler Commercial CentreSalzburg Liefering OvalJaca High Performance Winter Sports CentreMedeoGangneungEast Park National Olympic Center Tbilisi Central Stadium
Figure skatingImeretinskaya Exhibition CentreSalzburg LieferingPríncipe Felipe Pavilion, ZaragozaAlmaty Olympic Ice ParkGangneungEast Park National Olympic Center Tbilisi Sport Palace
Short trackImeretinskaya Exhibition CentreSalzburg LieferingPríncipe Felipe Pavilion, ZaragozaAlmaty Olympic Ice ParkGangneungEast Park National Olympic Center Tbilisi Sport Palace
CurlingImeretinskaya Exhibition CentreSalzburg ArenaZaragoza Sports PalaceBalluan SholakGangneungSofiaTbilisi Makhata Hill
Bobsleigh/luge/skeletonNational Sliding CentreSchönau am Königsee Panticosa Sliding CentreAlmatauSungwoo ResortBoiana CenterBorjomi Tskhratskaro

Potential bids

The following cities expressed interest in bidding but withdrew their 2014 Winter Olympics bids or decided not to bid.
, Pyeongchang led the first ballot, but was defeated in the second one, then losing to Vancouver, British Columbia. Both votes although four years apart bear a remarkable similarity.
There were two rounds of voting at the session that decided which city would host the games. In the first round, Pyeongchang received 36 votes while Sochi received 34 votes. Salzburg was eliminated carrying only 25 votes. In the second round of voting Pyeongchang garnered 47 votes but Sochi carried most of the votes originally cast for Salzburg and garnered 51 votes, winning the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Candidature files