Bids for the Olympic Games
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National Olympic Committees that wish to host an Olympic Games select cities within their territories to put forth bids for the Olympic Games. The staging of the Paralympic Games is automatically included in the bid.[1] Since the creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, which successfully appropriated the name of the Ancient Greek Olympics to create a modern sporting event, interested cities have rivaled for selection as host of the Summer or Winter Olympic Games. 51 different cities have been chosen to host the modern Olympics: three in Eastern Europe, five in East Asia, one in South America, three in Oceania, nine in North America and all the others in Western Europe. No Central American, African, Central Asian, Middle Eastern, South Asian, or Southeast Asian city has ever been chosen to host an Olympics.
The bid process has gone through multiple iterations: it has generally involved the presentation of one or more candidate cities to the delegates of the IOC, which then elect the host during an IOC Session. Beginning in 2008, prospective cities submitted an application questionnaire to the IOC, which shortlisted candidates based on their technical capability of hosting the Olympics. An IOC panel then conducted further evaluations of the candidate cities, including issuing the city a second questionnaire known as the candidature file, and in-person visits to each candidate city by members of the panel. These evaluations were used to compile reports distributed to the IOC's delegates prior to the host election.
In 2019, the bid process was overhauled to use persistent "Future Host Commissions", with which candidate cities and regions may engage in non-committal "continuous dialogue" regarding a bid for a future Olympic Games. Based on these discussions, a Future Host Commission may recommend one or more candidate cities to enter into "targeted dialogue" with the IOC to establish a formal bid.
Bid process
[edit]The Olympic bid process is governed by Chapter 5, Rule 34 of the Olympic Charter, and typically consisted of the submission of bids by hosting committees to the IOC via their National Olympic Committee (NOC). The candidate cities were voted on by the IOC's members to determine the host of the Games, with the Olympic Charter originally specifying that the vote be held seven years prior to the Games.[2] During the election for the host of the 2006 Winter Olympics, the IOC utilized an electoral college to shortlist the field to two candidates for the final vote.[3]
The first bid system faced allegations of corruption in the 1990s (especially during the bids for the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2002 Winter Olympics), including bid committees bribing IOC delegates and their families with gifts (including expenses-paid trips to candidate cities) in an effort to sway the vote.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Second system
[edit]Following the 2002 Winter Olympics' bid scandal, the IOC adopted a series of changes to the bid process. The changes were intended to introduce minimum technical standards for applicant cities, a commission to formally visit and evaluate candidate cities, and to reduce involvement by IOC members until the final vote (including limits on gifts, and prohibiting unnecessary travel to applicant cities by IOC members).[6][7][10]
Beginning with the bids for the 2008 Summer Olympics, a new two-stage process was introduced. In the first phase, cities interested in hosting the Games submitted an application to the IOC via their NOC. These applicant cities were then issued a questionnaire to evaluate their capability to host the Olympics: the questionnaire covered technical criteria such as political and social support, infrastructure, venues, plans for the Olympic Village, transportation, accommodations, security, environment, past experience, and finances. An IOC working group assigned each city a weighted-average score based on their responses to the questionnaire.[4][5]
Based on these evaluations, the IOC Executive Board then shortlisted multiple candidate cities to advance to the second phase.[4] Each bid committee submitted a more extensive questionnaire known as a "candidature file" to the IOC Evaluation Commission, a group composed of IOC members, representatives of international sport federations, NOCs, athletes, the International Paralympic Committee, and international experts in various fields.[11] The members of the Evaluation Commission then made four-day visits to each of the candidate cities, where they inspected the proposed venues and were briefed on the topics covered in the candidature file. The Evaluation Commission submitted a report to the IOC's members up to one month before the electing IOC Session.[5][12]
The IOC Session in which a host city is elected took place in a country that did not submit an application to stage the Olympics.[13] The election was made by the assembled active IOC members (excluding honorary and honour members), each possessing one vote. Members from countries that have a city taking part in the election could not vote while their city was in the running. The voting was conducted as a series of runoffs until one bid achieved an absolute majority of votes; if this did not happen in the first round, the bid with the fewest votes was eliminated and another voting round began. In the case of a tie for the lowest number of votes, a special runoff vote was carried out, with the winner proceeding to the next round. After each round, the eliminated bid was announced.[14][15] Following the announcement of the host city, the successful bid delegation signed the "Host City Contract" with the IOC, which delegates the responsibilities of the Games organisation to the city and respective NOC.[16]
Later investigations into host-city selections
[edit]Several host-city selections conducted under the second system later became the subject of corruption investigations. In 2017, Brazilian investigators alleged that a US$2 million payment had been arranged in connection with efforts to secure votes for Rio de Janeiro's successful bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[17] The allegations involved former Brazilian Olympic Committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman, former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral, and former IOC member and IAAF president Lamine Diack.[18] In 2024, a Brazilian federal court annulled related convictions after finding that the judge lacked legal competence to rule on the case.[19]
The successful Tokyo 2020 bid also became the subject of scrutiny. Reuters reported in 2020 that Dentsu had donated more than US$6 million to the bid campaign and lobbied IOC members on Tokyo's behalf, creating what Reuters described as a potential conflict of interest because the company also had a separate commercial relationship with the IOC.[20]
Third system
[edit]At the 134th IOC Session on 24 June 2019 in Lausanne, the IOC ratified a new Olympic bid process based on the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020.[2] The new process establishes Future Host Commissions (FHCs) for the Summer and Winter Olympics respectively. Cities and regions interested in hosting a future Olympic Games enter into non-committal "continuous dialogue" with the FHC. As a result of continuous dialogue, the FHC may recommend one or more preferred host(s) to enter into "targeted dialogue" with the IOC Executive Board to negotiate a formal bid for a specific Olympic Games.[2][21][22][23] Following targeted dialogue, the candidate(s) are then elected via a referendum to the IOC's delegates.[24][25][26]
The new process was described as being more "consultative" and emphasizing flexibility for hosts and sustainability; president Thomas Bach explained that the IOC needed to "keep up with the fast pace of change in our current world", and that "flexibility is a necessity to ensure good governance and to have sustainable Olympic Games in the future", while "maintaining the magic of the Games, the fundamental principle of universality and our commitment to having athletes at the centre of everything we do."[21][22] The process was employed for the first time during the bids for the 2032 Summer Olympics; German officials, including Bundestag sports committee chairwoman Dagmar Freitag, criticized the new system for lacking transparency after Brisbane was chosen as sole candidate over Rhine-Ruhr.[27]
In June 2025, shortly after succeeding Bach as IOC president, Kirsty Coventry announced a pause and review of the future-host election process. Reuters reported that IOC members had called for greater involvement in host selection and that, under Bach's leadership, the IOC Executive Board had presented a single preferred candidate to members for approval.[28] The IOC established a working group to review the process.[29]
Associated amendments to the Olympic Charter also allow for more flexibility in when the electing session is held, and also enable bids to formally consist of one or more cities, regions, or countries rather than only cities.[21][22][23] This strategy became apparent when the 2030 Winter Olympics were awarded to the French Alps,[30][31] and the 2034 Winter Olympics' were billed as "Salt Lake City—Utah 2024" and, later "Utah 2034", to emphasize the Games' use of venues outside of Salt Lake City (as opposed to the 2002 Winter Olympics, which were billed as simply "Salt Lake 2002").[32]
IOC – IPC co-operation
[edit]Even with completely different stories, but with common goals, the approach to the Paralympic Games that began in the late 1980s and progressively evolved into a joint organization made during the 1992 Summer Paralympics, held in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain, the 1994 Winter Paralympics held in Lillehammer, Norway, the 1998 Winter Paralympics held in Nagano, Japan, and the 2000 Summer Paralympic Games were the bridges to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to sign in June 2001, an agreement that would ensure that the staging of the Paralympic Games is automatically included in the bid for the Olympic Games starting from the bid process for the 2008 Summer Paralympics. [1] However, the Salt Lake 2002 Organizing Committee (SLOC) and Athens 2004 Organizing Committee (ATHOC) instead chose to follow the practice of "one bid, one city" for both events. The agreement was adjusted in 2003 and their first extension was signed in June 2006.[1]
Games of the Olympiad
[edit]First system era
[edit]| Games | Year | Bid party | Result | Final selection process | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOCs | Date | IOC Session | ||||
| I | 1896 | Athens |  Greece | Awarded to host the Games of the I Olympiad (sole bid) | 23 June 1894 | 1st in Paris, France | [i] |
| II | 1900 | Paris |  France | Awarded to host the Games of the II Olympiad (sole bid) | 23 June 1894 | 1st in Paris, France | [i] |
| III | 1904 |  United States | Awarded to host the Games of the III Olympiad (moved to St. Louis) | 22 May 1901 | 4th in Paris, France | [ii] | |
| St. Louis | Inherently awarded to host the Games of the III Olympiad | ||||||
| IV | 1908 |  Italy | Awarded to host the Games of the IV Olympiad (reattributed) | June 1904 | 6th in London | [iii] | |
| London |  United Kingdom | Inherently awarded to host the Games of the IV Olympiad | |||||
| Berlin |  Germany | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Milan | Italy | ||||||
| V | 1912 | Stockholm |  Sweden | Awarded to host the Games of the V Olympiad (sole bid) | 27 May 1909 | 10th in Berlin, Germany | |
| Germany | Awarded to host the Games of the VI Olympiad (cancelled) | 27 May 1912 | 14th in Stockholm, Sweden | [iv] | |||
| Alexandria |  Egypt | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Amsterdam |  Netherlands | ||||||
| Brussels |  Belgium | ||||||
| Budapest |  Hungary | ||||||
| Cleveland |  United States | ||||||
| VII | 1920 | Antwerp | Belgium | Awarded to host the Games of the VII Olympiad | 5 April 1919 | 17th in Lausanne, Switzerland | [v] |
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Atlanta | United States | ||||||
| Budapest |  Hungary | ||||||
| Cleveland | United States | ||||||
| Havana |  Cuba | ||||||
| Philadelphia | United States | ||||||
| Lyon | France | Withdrew during the host selection process | |||||
| VIII | 1924 | Paris | France | Awarded to host the Games of the VIII Olympiad | 2 June 1921 | 19th in Lausanne, Switzerland | [vi] |
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Barcelona |  Spain | ||||||
| Los Angeles | United States | ||||||
| Prague |  Czechoslovakia | ||||||
| Rome | Italy | ||||||
| IX | 1928 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Awarded to host the Games of the IX Olympiad | 2 June 1921 | 19th in Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| Los Angeles | United States | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| X | 1932 | Los Angeles | United States | Awarded to host the Games of the X Olympiad (sole bid) | 9 April 1923 | 21st in Rome, Italy | |
| XI | 1936 | Berlin |  Germany | Awarded to host the Games of the XI Olympiad (43 votes) | 13 May 1931 | 29th in Barcelona, Spain | |
| Barcelona |  Spain | Eliminated in the first voting (16 votes) | |||||
| Alexandria |  Egypt | Withdrew during the host selection process | |||||
| Budapest |  Hungary | ||||||
| Buenos Aires |  Argentina | ||||||
| Cologne | Germany | ||||||
| Dublin |  Ireland | ||||||
| Frankfurt | Germany | ||||||
| Helsinki |  Finland | ||||||
| Lausanne |  Switzerland | ||||||
| Montevideo |  Uruguay | ||||||
| Nuremberg | Germany | ||||||
| Rio de Janeiro |  Brazil | ||||||
| Rome | Italy | ||||||
 Japan | Awarded to host the Games of the XII Olympiad (relinquished) | 31 July 1936 | 35th in Berlin, Germany | [vii] | |||
| Finland | Inherently awarded to host the Games of the XII Olympiad (cancelled) | ||||||
| Barcelona | Spain | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Rome | Italy | Not selected to host the games | |||||
 United Kingdom | Awarded to host the Games of the XIII Olympiad (20 votes; cancelled) | 9 June 1939 | 38th in London | [viii] | |||
| Rome | Italy | Eliminated in the first voting (11 votes) | |||||
| Detroit | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (2 votes) | |||||
| Lausanne | Switzerland | Eliminated in the first voting (1 vote) | |||||
| Athens | Greece | Eliminated in the first voting (no vote) | |||||
| Budapest | Hungary | ||||||
| Helsinki | Finland | ||||||
| Montreal |  Canada | ||||||
| XIV | 1948 | London | United Kingdom | Awarded to host the Games of the XIV Olympiad | September 1946 | 39th in Lausanne, Switzerland | [ix] |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Los Angeles | United States | ||||||
| Minneapolis | |||||||
| Philadelphia | |||||||
| Baltimore | |||||||
| XV | 1952 | Helsinki | Finland | Awarded to host the Games of the XV Olympiad (15 votes) | 21 June 1947 | 40th in Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Minneapolis | United States | Eliminated in the second voting (5 votes) | |||||
| Los Angeles | |||||||
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | Eliminated in the second voting (3 votes) | |||||
| Detroit | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (2 votes) | |||||
| Chicago | Eliminated in the first voting (1 vote) | ||||||
| Philadelphia | Eliminated in the first voting (no vote) | ||||||
| XVI | 1956 | Melbourne |  Australia | Awarded to host the Games of the XVI Olympiad (21 votes) | 28 April 1949 | 43rd in Rome, Italy | [x] |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | Eliminated in the fourth voting (20 votes) | |||||
| Los Angeles | United States | Eliminated in the third voting (5 votes) | |||||
| Detroit | Eliminated in the third voting (4 votes) | ||||||
| Mexico City |  Mexico | Eliminated in the second voting (3 votes) | |||||
| Chicago | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (1 vote) | |||||
| Minneapolis | |||||||
| Philadelphia | |||||||
| San Francisco | Eliminated in the first voting (no vote) | ||||||
| Montreal | Canada | ||||||
| XVII | 1960 | Rome |  Italy | Awarded to host the Games of the XVII Olympiad (35 votes) | 15 June 1955 | 50th in Paris, France | |
| Lausanne | Switzerland | Eliminated in the third voting (24 votes) | |||||
| Detroit | United States | Eliminated in the second voting (11 votes) | |||||
| Budapest |  Hungary | Eliminated in the second voting (1 vote) | |||||
| Brussels | Belgium | Eliminated in the first voting (6 votes) | |||||
| Mexico City | Mexico | ||||||
| Tokyo | Japan | Eliminated in the first voting (4 votes) | |||||
| XVIII | 1964 | Tokyo | Japan | Awarded to host the Games of the XVIII Olympiad (34 votes) | 26 May 1959 | 55th in Munich, Germany | |
| Detroit | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (10 votes) | |||||
| Vienna |  Austria | Eliminated in the first voting (9 votes) | |||||
| Brussels | Belgium | Eliminated in the first voting (5 votes) | |||||
| XIX | 1968 | Mexico City |  Mexico | Awarded to host the Games of the XIX Olympiad (30 votes) | 18 October 1963 | 60th in Baden-Baden, Germany | |
| Detroit |  United States | Eliminated in the first voting (14 votes) | |||||
| Lyon |  France | Eliminated in the first voting (12 votes) | |||||
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | Eliminated in the first voting (2 votes) | |||||
| XX | 1972 | Munich |  Germany | Awarded to host the Games of the XX Olympiad (31 votes) | 26 April 1966 | 64th in Rome, Italy | |
| Madrid |  Spain | Eliminated in the second voting (16 votes) | |||||
| Montreal |  Canada | Eliminated in the second voting (13 votes) | |||||
| Detroit | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (6 votes) | |||||
| XXI | 1976 | Montreal | Canada | Awarded to host the Games of the XXI Olympiad (41 votes) | 12 May 1970 | 69th in Amsterdam, Netherlands | |
| Moscow |  Soviet Union | Eliminated in the second voting (28 votes) | |||||
| Los Angeles | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (17 votes) | |||||
| XXII | 1980 | Moscow | Soviet Union | Awarded to host the Games of the XXII Olympiad (39 votes) | 23 October 1974 | 75th in Vienna, Austria | |
| Los Angeles | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (20 votes) | |||||
| XXIII | 1984 | Los Angeles | United States | Awarded to host the Games of the XXIII Olympiad (sole bid) | 18 May 1978 | 80th in Athens, Greece | |
| Tehran |  Iran | Did not advance | |||||
| XXIV | 1988 | Seoul |  South Korea | Awarded to host the Games of the XXIV Olympiad (52 votes) | 30 September 1981 | 84th in Baden-Baden, Germany | |
| Nagoya | Japan | Eliminated in the first voting (27 votes) | |||||
| XXV | 1992 | Barcelona |  Spain | Awarded to host the Games of the XXV Olympiad (47 votes) | 17 October 1986 | 91st in Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| Paris |  France | Eliminated in the third voting (23 votes) | |||||
| Brisbane | Australia | Eliminated in the third voting (10 votes) | |||||
| Belgrade |  Yugoslavia | Eliminated in the third voting (5 votes) | |||||
| Birmingham | United Kingdom | Eliminated in the second voting (8 votes) | |||||
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | Eliminated in the first voting (5 votes) | |||||
| XXVI | 1996 | Atlanta | United States | Awarded to host the Games of the XXVI Olympiad (51 votes) | 18 September 1990 | 96th in Tokyo, Japan | |
| Athens |  Greece | Eliminated in the fifth voting (35 votes) | |||||
| Toronto | Canada | Eliminated in the fourth voting (22 votes) | |||||
| Melbourne | Australia | Eliminated in the third voting (16 votes) | |||||
| Manchester | United Kingdom | Eliminated in the second voting (5 votes) | |||||
| Belgrade | Yugoslavia | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| XXVII | 2000 | Sydney | Australia | Awarded to host the Games of the XXVII Olympiad (45 votes) | 23 September 1993 | 101st in Monte Carlo, Monaco | |
| Beijing |  China | Eliminated in the fourth voting (43 votes) | |||||
| Manchester | United Kingdom | Eliminated in the third voting (11 votes) | |||||
| Berlin | Germany | Eliminated in the second voting (9 votes) | |||||
| Istanbul |  Turkey | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| Brasília |  Brazil | Withdrew during the host selection process | |||||
| Milan | Italy | ||||||
| Tashkent |  Uzbekistan | ||||||
Second system era
[edit]| Games | Year | Bid party (Candidate/Applicant city) | Result | Final selection process | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOCs | Date | IOC Session | ||||
| XXVIII | 2004 | Athens | Greece | Awarded to host the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (66 votes) | 9 May 1997 | 106th in Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| Rome | Italy | Eliminated in the fourth voting (41 votes) | |||||
| Cape Town |  South Africa | Eliminated in the third voting (20 votes) | |||||
| Stockholm | Sweden | Eliminated in the second voting (19 votes) | |||||
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | Eliminated in the run-off voting (44 votes) | |||||
| Istanbul | Turkey | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Lille | France | ||||||
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | ||||||
| Saint Petersburg |  Russia | ||||||
| San Juan |  Puerto Rico | ||||||
| Seville | Spain | ||||||
| XXIX | 2008 | Beijing | China | Awarded to host the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (56 votes) | 13 July 2001 | 112th in Moscow, Russia | |
| Toronto | Canada | Eliminated in the second voting (22 votes) | |||||
| Paris | France | Eliminated in the second voting (18 votes) | |||||
| Istanbul | Turkey | Eliminated in the second voting (9 votes) | |||||
| Osaka |  Japan | Eliminated in the first voting (6 votes) | |||||
| Bangkok |  Thailand | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Cairo |  Egypt | ||||||
| Havana |  Cuba | ||||||
| Kuala Lumpur |  Malaysia | ||||||
| Seville | Spain | ||||||
| XXX | 2012 | London | United Kingdom | Awarded to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad (54 votes) | 6 July 2005 | 117th in Singapore | |
| Paris | France | Eliminated in the fourth voting (50 votes) | |||||
| Madrid | Spain | Eliminated in the third voting (31 votes) | |||||
| New York City | United States | Eliminated in the second voting (16 votes) | |||||
| Moscow | Russia | Eliminated in the first voting (15 votes) | |||||
| Istanbul | Turkey | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Leipzig | Germany | ||||||
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | ||||||
| Havana | Cuba | ||||||
| XXXI | 2016 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Awarded to host the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (66 votes) | 2 October 2009 | 121st in Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Madrid | Spain | Eliminated in the third voting (32 votes) | |||||
| Tokyo | Japan | Eliminated in the second voting (20 votes) | |||||
| Chicago | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (18 votes) | |||||
| Baku |  Azerbaijan | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Doha |  Qatar | ||||||
| Prague | Czech Republic | ||||||
| XXXII | 2020 | Tokyo | Japan | Awarded to host the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (60 votes) | 7 September 2013 | 125th in Buenos Aires, Argentina | [xi] |
| Istanbul | Turkey | Eliminated in the second voting (36 votes) | |||||
| Madrid | Spain | Eliminated in the run-off voting (49 votes) | |||||
| Baku | Azerbaijan | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Doha | Qatar | ||||||
| Rome | Italy | ||||||
| XXXIII & XXXIV |
2024 & 2028 |
Paris | France | Awarded to host the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (unanimous vote) | 13 September 2017 | 131st in Lima, Peru | [xii] |
| Los Angeles | United States | Awarded to host the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad (unanimous vote) | |||||
| Budapest |  Hungary | Withdrew during the candidature stage | |||||
| Hamburg | Germany | ||||||
| Rome | Italy | ||||||
Third system era
[edit]| Games | Year | Bid party (Preferred host/Confirmed bids) | Result | Final selection process | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOCs | Date | IOC Session | ||||
| XXXV | 2032 | Brisbane | Australia | Awarded to host the Games of the XXXV Olympiad (72 votes) | 21 July 2021 | 138th in Tokyo, Japan | [43] |
| Ahmedabad |  India | Did not advance to targeted dialogue phase | |||||
| Doha | Qatar | ||||||
| Jakarta |  Indonesia | ||||||
| Madrid | Spain | ||||||
| Rhine-Ruhr | Germany | ||||||
| XXXVI | 2036 | ||||||
| Ahmedabad | India |
||||||
| Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg | South Africa |
||||||
| Doha | Qatar |
||||||
| Istanbul | Turkey |
||||||
| Santiago |  Chile |
||||||
Olympic Winter Games
[edit]First system era
[edit]| Games | Year | Bid party | Result | Final selection process | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOCs | Date | IOC Session | ||||
| I | 1924 | Chamonix | France | Awarded to host the I Olympic Winter Games (sole bid) | 2 June 1921 | 19th in Lausanne, Switzerland | [xiii] |
| II | 1928 | St. Moritz | Switzerland | Awarded to host the II Olympic Winter Games | 5 June 1926 | 24th in Lisbon, Portugal | |
| Davos | Switzerland | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Engelberg | |||||||
| III | 1932 | Lake Placid | United States | Awarded to host the III Olympic Winter Games | 10 April 1929 | 27th in Lausanne, Switzerland | [xiv] |
| Bear Mountain | United States | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| Denver | |||||||
| Duluth | |||||||
| Minneapolis | |||||||
| Montreal | Canada | ||||||
| Oslo |  Norway | ||||||
| Yosemite Valley | United States | ||||||
| IV | 1936 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Germany | Awarded to host the IV Olympic Winter Games | 7 June 1933 | 31st in Vienna, Austria | [xiv] |
| Montreal | Canada | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| St. Moritz | Switzerland | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| V | Japan | Awarded to host the V Olympic Winter Games (sole bid; relinquished) | 9 June 1937 | 36th in Warsaw, Poland | [xiv] [vii] | ||
| Switzerland | Secondly awarded to host the V Olympic Winter Games (withdrew) | ||||||
| Germany | Thirdly awarded to host the V Olympic Winter Games (cancelled) | ||||||
| Italy | Awarded to host the V Olympic Winter Games (16 votes; cancelled) | 9 June 1939 | 38th in London | [xiv] [vii] | |||
| Montreal | Canada | Eliminated in the first voting (12 votes) | |||||
| Oslo | Norway | Eliminated in the first voting (2 votes) | |||||
| 1948 | St. Moritz | Switzerland | Awarded to host the V Olympic Winter Games | September 1946 | 39th in Lausanne, Switzerland | [ix] | |
| Lake Placid | United States | Not selected to host the games | |||||
| VI | 1952 | Oslo | Norway | Awarded to host the VI Olympic Winter Games (17 votes) | 21 June 1947 | 40th in Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Eliminated in the first voting (9 votes) | |||||
| Lake Placid | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (1 vote) | |||||
| VII | 1956 | Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Awarded to host the VII Olympic Winter Games (31 votes) | 28 April 1949 | 43rd in Rome, Italy | |
| Montreal | Canada | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| Colorado Springs | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (2 votes) | |||||
| Lake Placid | Eliminated in the first voting (1 vote) | ||||||
| VIII | 1960 | Squaw Valley | United States | Awarded to host the VIII Olympic Winter Games (32 votes) | 16 June 1955 | 50th in Paris, France | |
| Innsbruck | Austria | Eliminated in the second voting (30 votes) | |||||
| Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Germany | Eliminated in the first voting (5 votes) | |||||
| St. Moritz | Switzerland | Eliminated in the first voting (3 votes) | |||||
| IX | 1964 | Innsbruck | Austria | Awarded to host the IX Olympic Winter Games (48 votes) | 28 April 1959 | 55th in Munich, Germany | |
| Calgary |  Canada | Eliminated in the first voting (12 votes) | |||||
| Lahti | Finland | Eliminated in the first voting (1 vote) | |||||
| X | 1968 | Grenoble | France | Awarded to host the X Olympic Winter Games (32 votes) | 28 January 1964 | 61st in Vienna, Austria | |
| Calgary | Canada | Eliminated in the third voting (24 votes) | |||||
| Lahti | Finland | Eliminated in the second voting (14 votes) | |||||
| Sapporo | Japan | Eliminated in the first voting (6 votes) | |||||
| Oslo | Norway | Eliminated in the first voting (4 votes) | |||||
| Lake Placid | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (3 votes) | |||||
| XI | 1972 | Sapporo | Japan | Awarded to host the XI Olympic Winter Games (32 votes) | 26 April 1966 | 64th in Rome, Italy | |
| Banff | Canada | Eliminated in the first voting (16 votes) | |||||
| Lahti | Finland | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| Salt Lake City | United States | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| XII | 1976 | United States | Awarded to host the XII Olympic Winter Games (39 votes; withdrew) | 12 May 1970 | 69th in Amsterdam, Netherlands | [xv] | |
| Innsbruck | Austria | Secondly awarded to host the XII Olympic Winter Games | |||||
| Sion | Switzerland | Eliminated in the third voting (30 votes) | |||||
| Tampere | Finland | Eliminated in the second voting (8 votes) | |||||
| Vancouver and Garibaldi | Canada | Eliminated in the first voting (9 votes) | |||||
| XIII | 1980 | Lake Placid | United States | Awarded to host the XIII Olympic Winter Games (sole bid) | 23 October 1974 | 75th in Vienna, Austria | |
| Vancouver and Garibaldi | Canada | Withdrew during the host selection process | |||||
| XIV | 1984 | Sarajevo | Yugoslavia | Awarded to host the XIV Olympic Winter Games (39 votes) | 18 May 1978 | 80th in Athens, Greece | |
| Sapporo | Japan | Eliminated in the second voting (36 votes) | |||||
| Gothenburg | Sweden | Eliminated in the first voting (10 votes) | |||||
| XV | 1988 | Calgary | Canada | Awarded to host the XV Olympic Winter Games (48 votes) | 30 September 1981 | 84th in Baden-Baden, Germany | |
| Falun | Sweden | Eliminated in the second voting (31 votes) | |||||
| Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Eliminated in the first voting (18 votes) | |||||
| XVI | 1992 | Albertville | France | Awarded to host the XVI Olympic Winter Games (51 votes) | 17 October 1986 | 91st in Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| Sofia |  Bulgaria | Eliminated in the fifth voting (25 votes) | |||||
| Falun | Sweden | Eliminated in the fifth voting (9 votes) | |||||
| Lillehammer | Norway | Eliminated in the run-off voting (40 votes) | |||||
| Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Eliminated in the third voting (7 votes) | |||||
| Anchorage | United States | Eliminated in the second voting (5 votes) | |||||
| Berchtesgaden | Germany | Eliminated in the first voting (6 votes) | |||||
| XVII | 1994 | Lillehammer | Norway | Awarded to host the XVII Olympic Winter Games (45 votes) | 15 September 1988 | 94th in Seoul, South Korea | |
| Östersund | Sweden | Eliminated in the third voting (39 votes) | |||||
| Anchorage | United States | Eliminated in the second voting (22 votes) | |||||
| Sofia | Bulgaria | Eliminated in the first voting (17 votes) | |||||
| XVIII | 1998 | Nagano | Japan | Awarded to host the XVIII Olympic Winter Games (46 votes) | 15 June 1991 | 97th in Birmingham, United Kingdom | |
| Salt Lake City | United States | Eliminated in the fourth voting (42 votes) | |||||
| Östersund | Sweden | Eliminated in the third voting (23 votes) | |||||
| Jaca | Spain | Eliminated in the second voting (5 votes) | |||||
| Aosta | Italy | Eliminated in the run-off voting (29 votes) | |||||
Second system era
[edit]| Games | Year | Bid party (Candidate/Applicant city) | Result | Final selection process | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOCs | Date | IOC Session | ||||
| XIX | 2002 | Salt Lake City | United States | Awarded to host the XIX Olympic Winter Games (54 votes) | 16 June 1995 | 104th in Budapest, Hungary | |
| Östersund | Sweden | Eliminated in the first voting (14 votes) | |||||
| Sion | Switzerland | Eliminated in the first voting (14 votes) | |||||
| Quebec City | Canada | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| Graz | Austria | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Jaca | Spain | ||||||
| Poprad |  Slovakia | ||||||
| Sochi | Russia | ||||||
| Tarvisio | Italy | ||||||
| XX | 2006 | Turin | Italy | Awarded to host the XX Olympic Winter Games (53 votes) | 16 June 1999 | 109th in Seoul, South Korea | |
| Sion | Switzerland | Eliminated in the first voting (36 votes) | |||||
| Helsinki | Finland | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Klagenfurt | Austria | ||||||
| Poprad | Slovakia | ||||||
| Zakopane |  Poland | ||||||
| XXI | 2010 | Vancouver | Canada | Awarded to host the XXI Olympic Winter Games (56 votes) | 2 July 2003 | 115th in Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Pyeongchang |  South Korea | Eliminated in the second voting (53 votes) | |||||
| Salzburg | Austria | Eliminated in the first voting (16 votes) | |||||
| Bern | Switzerland | Withdrew during the candidature stage | |||||
| Andorra la Vella |  Andorra | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Harbin | China | ||||||
| Jaca | Spain | ||||||
| Sarajevo |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||
| XXII | 2014 | Sochi | Russia | Awarded to host the XXII Olympic Winter Games (51 votes) | 4 July 2007 | 119th in Guatemala City, Guatemala | |
| Pyeongchang |  South Korea | Eliminated in the second voting (47 votes) | |||||
| Salzburg | Austria | Eliminated in the first voting (25 votes) | |||||
| Almaty |  Kazakhstan | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Borjomi |  Georgia | ||||||
| Jaca | Spain | ||||||
| Sofia |  Bulgaria | ||||||
| XXIII | 2018 | Pyeongchang | South Korea | Awarded to host the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (63 votes) | 6 July 2011 | 123rd in Durban, South Africa | |
| Munich | Germany | Eliminated in the first voting (25 votes) | |||||
| Annecy | France | Eliminated in the first voting (7 votes) | |||||
| XXIV | 2022 | Beijing | China | Awarded to host the XXIV Olympic Winter Games (44 votes) | 31 July 2015 | 128th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| Almaty | Kazakhstan | Eliminated in the first voting (40 votes) | |||||
| Oslo | Norway | Withdrew during the candidature stage | |||||
| Kraków | Poland | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
| Lviv |  Ukraine | ||||||
| Stockholm | Sweden | ||||||
| XXV | 2026 | Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Awarded to host the XXV Olympic Winter Games (47 votes) | 24 June 2019 | 134th in Lausanne, Switzerland | |
| Stockholm and Åre | Sweden | Eliminated in the first voting (34 votes) | |||||
| Calgary | Canada | Withdrew during the candidature stage | |||||
| Graz | Austria | ||||||
| Sapporo | Japan | ||||||
| Sion | Switzerland | ||||||
| Erzurum | Turkey | Not shortlisted to the candidature stage | |||||
Third system era
[edit]| Games | Year | Bid party (Preferred host/Confirmed bids) | Result | Final selection process | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOCs | Date | IOC Session | ||||
| XXVI & XXVII |
2030 & |
French Alps | France | Awarded to host the XXVI Olympic Winter Games (84 votes) | 24 July 2024 | 142nd in Paris, France | |
| Utah | United States | Awarded to host the XXVII Olympic Winter Games (83 votes) | |||||
| Switzerland | Switzerland | Did not advance to targeted dialogue phase | |||||
| Stockholm and Åre | Sweden | ||||||
| Barcelona, Zaragoza and Pyrenees | Spain | Withdrew during the candidature stage | |||||
| Vancouver | Canada | ||||||
| Sapporo | Japan | ||||||
| XXVIII | 2038 | Switzerland | Switzerland | In dialogue to potentially host the 2038 XXVIII Olympic Winter Games | |||
Bidding cities
[edit]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- 1 2 At the first Session of the International Olympic Committee, in 1894, Athens was chosen to stage the first Olympic Games of the Modern Era, in 1896, as an honour to the birthplace of the Ancient Olympics. Paris was chosen as the site for the II Olympiad, in 1900, despite Pierre de Coubertin's wish that Paris would celebrate the first Games.[33][34]
- ↑ Originally awarded to Chicago, but moved to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair.
- ↑ Rome was the choice of the IOC, but the 1906 eruption of Mount Vesuvius forced the Italians to return the Games to the IOC, which reattributed them to London.[35]
- ↑ The Games were cancelled because of World War I.
- ↑ Antwerp was awarded with the Olympic Games as a compensation and to honour the Belgians who fought, suffered and died during the war.[36]
- ↑ Paris got the Games for the second time to fulfill Pierre de Coubertin's wish to see a successful Olympics in his country, erasing the flaws of the 1900 Olympics, before he retired from the IOC.[37]
- 1 2 3 Due to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japan relinquished its hosting rights to both the Summer and Winter Games. On 1938-07-15, the IOC relocated the Summer Games to Helsinki and the Winter Games to St. Moritz. Finland's invasion by the Soviet Union, in 1939, and World War II forced the IOC to cancel the 1940 Summer Games.[38] Disagreements with the Swiss officials, concerning the entry of professional skiers in the Games, prompted the IOC to reattribute them for the second consecutive time to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, on 1939-06-09. They were cancelled as well because of the war.[39]
- ↑ The Games were cancelled because of World War II.
- 1 2 Selected without election, after the end of World War II.
- ↑ Australia's strict quarantine laws concerning the entry of foreign horses made it impossible for the equestrian events to be held within the Games period. In May, 1954, during the 49th IOC Session in Athens, Stockholm was chosen to stage what would be known as "Equestrian Games of the XVIth Olympiad".[40][41]
- ↑ The Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[42]
- ↑ Los Angeles' bid was withdrawn on July 31, 2017 as a prerequisite to being awarded 2028, leaving Paris as the only bidder. The USOC initially picked Boston as the US candidate but later withdrew their bid in favor of Los Angeles.
- ↑ Chamonix was chosen by the IOC to stage the "International Sports Week 1924", which would later be considered the First Olympic Winter Games.[44]
- 1 2 3 4 Until the 1938 revision of the Olympic Charter, the IOC rules stated that the host country of the Summer Olympics took priority if it wished to also host the Winter Olympics the same year.
- ↑ The selection process for the 1976 Winter Olympics consisted of four bids, and saw Denver, United States, selected ahead of Sion, Switzerland; Tampere, Finland; and Vancouver, Canada. The selection was made at the 70th IOC Session in Amsterdam on 12 May 1970. In a statewide referendum on 7 November 1972, Colorado voters rejected funding for the games, and for the only time a city awarded the Games rejected them. Denver officially withdrew on 15 November, and the IOC then offered the games to Whistler, Canada, but they too declined owing to a change of government following elections. Whistler would go on to be associated with neighbouring Vancouver's successful bid for the 2010 games. Salt Lake City offered to host the games, but the IOC, still reeling from the Denver rejection, declined and selected Innsbruck to host the 1976 Winter Olympics, which had hosted the 1964 Winter Olympics games twelve years earlier, on 5 February 1973. Salt Lake City would then host the Winter Olympics in 2002.[45]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 IPC-IOC Co-operation, The official website of the International Paralympic Committee
- 1 2 3 Long, Michael (2019-06-27). "Olympic bidding process overhauled as IOC approves major reforms". SportsPro. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Swiss anger at Olympic loss". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- 1 2 3 Report by the IOC candidature acceptance working group to the IOC Executive Board (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 12 March 2004. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2007.
- 1 2 3 "Host City Election Procedure". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- 1 2 "IOC Promises Reforms". Maclean's. Retrieved 2026-04-15 – via thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
- 1 2 Mallon, Dr. Bill (2000). "The Olympic Bribery Scandal" (PDF). The Journal of Olympic History. 8 (2): 11–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ↑ "OLYMPICS BID SCANDAL LEADS TO RESIGNATIONS". Chicago Tribune. 1999-01-09. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "IOC reforms are meaningful". Deseret News. 1999-12-14. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Key reforms approved by IOC". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Role and composition of the Evaluation Commission". 117th IOC Session. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ↑ "Role and composition of the Evaluation Commission". 117th IOC Session. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ↑ "Host City Election Procedure". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ↑ "FAQ – ELECTION OF AN OLYMPIC GAMES HOST CITY – Host city election". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 16 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ↑ "Election procedure". 117th IOC Session. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ↑ "The Organising Committees of the Olympic Games". The Movement. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2007.
- ↑ "Brazil reveals massive Olympic corruption case". dw.com. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
- ↑ "Brazil Olympic chief brokered $2 million bribe to buy Rio Games - police". www.reuters.com.
- ↑ "Brazil's court annuls Nuzman, Cabral sentence over Rio 2016 corruption". www.reuters.com.
- ↑ "Insight: Japan's Dentsu lobbied for and funded campaign for Tokyo games, documents show, despite Olympics contract". www.reuters.com.
- 1 2 3 "Future Olympic Games elections to be more flexible". International Olympic Committee. 2 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- 1 2 3 "Evolution of the revolution: IOC transforms future Olympic Games elections". International Olympic Committee. 26 June 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- 1 2 "Future Host Commissions: Terms of Reference" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 3 October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ↑ "2030 Winter Olympics: A conditional victory for the French Alps". Le Monde. 24 July 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ↑ Grohmann, Karolos (24 July 2024). "France conditionally confirmed as 2030 Winter Games hosts, IOC says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024.
- ↑ Grohmann, Karolos (23 July 2024). "French 2030 winter Games bid faces conditional vote due to lack of guarantees, IOC says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ↑ "German officials bemoan 'non-transparency' of 2032 Olympics bid selection". The Guardian. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ↑ "IOC to take lead in gender eligibility criteria, says Coventry". www.reuters.com/.
- ↑ "IOC President Coventry announces two working groups to strengthen future host election process and protection of the female category". www.olympics.com.
- ↑ "2030 Winter Olympics: A conditional victory for the French Alps". Le Monde. 24 July 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ↑ Grohmann, Karolos (24 July 2024). "France conditionally confirmed as 2030 Winter Games hosts, IOC says". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024.
- ↑ "Utah's Olympics have a new name and logo. Not everyone's cheering". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ↑ "Athens 1896". Games. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 6 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ↑ Factsheet – The Olympic Movement (PDF). International Olympic Committee. 2007-02-07. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ↑ "1908 Olympics: London, England". Hickok Sports. Archived from the original on 22 February 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ↑ "Antwerp 1920". Games. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 17 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ↑ "1924 Olympics: Paris, France". Hickok Sports. Archived from the original on 2002-02-22. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ↑ "1948 Olympics: London, England". Hickok Sports. Archived from the original on 22 February 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- ↑ "St. Moritz 1948". Games. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ↑ "Melbourne 1956". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- ↑ The Official Report of the Organizing Committee for the Equestrian Games of the XVIth Olympiad (in Swedish and English). Organizing Committee for the Equestrian Games of the XVIth Olympiad. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- ↑ "Tokyo 2020: Olympic Games organisers 'agree postponement'". BBC Sport. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ↑ Ben Westcott and Homero De la Fuente. "Australian city named 'preferred host' for 2032 Olympics". CNN. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
- ↑ "Chamonix 1924". Games. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ↑ "Innsbruck 1976". Games. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
External links
[edit]- GamesBids.com
- TheBidLibrary.com
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) — Olympic Games
- IOC Vote History
- Olympic Games Museum
- Olympic Bid Election History
| Summer | |
|---|---|
| Winter | |
| Summer Youth | |
| Winter Youth | |
Future games with bidding process not completed yet are marked italic 1 – Games handed without bids submitted; 2 – Only one bid submitted; 3 – Bids submitted but no Games celebration; 4 – No bids submitted and no Games celebration  Olympic Games portal | |
