IOC shortlists three final candidates for 2026 Winter Olympics bidding
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The executive committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday shortlisted three candidates: Stockholm, Sweden; Calgary, Canada; and the area of Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy to continue their bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

As for Erzurum, Turkey, the city is, quoting IOC vice-president Juan-Antonio Samaranch Jr., "a little challenging" in telecommunications, transport and airports and thus was dropped out."

Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said that the decision was made based on the recommendation of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Working Group. All three bids will be put to a vote at the IOC session on October 8 and 9. Judging by past experience, there should be no further changes.

The IOC will announce the host for the event in 2019. The following are parts of the analysis made by the 2026 evaluation group of each bid:

Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics and other winter events which left the city both with venues they can use for another event and experience they can learn from. Winter sports is popular in the area and Calgary's concept and vision of the Winter Olympics fit into the new era of the Olympic Agenda 2020 and New Norm.

Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo together combine the advantages of a big European city and a popular mountain resort. Local passion for sport and the strong economy of north Italy are also pluses to their bid. Besides, their plan for the event can both realize long-term goals and fit into the same Olympic Agenda 2020 strategic roadmap. 

Stockholm as a modern global capital has venues in the heart of the city that can help improve the Olympic experience. Sweden is experienced in hosting world championships in winter sports and has the necessary facilities for the Winter Olympics. Moreover, Stockholm aims to addresses the city's future needs and improve local livelihood by hosting the event.

New Norm is a set of reforms to redesign the Olympics so host cities can do their jobs in a more flexible way while benefiting from it in the long term.