Lausanne (RWH) Almaty (Kazakhstan), Beijing (China) and Oslo (Norway) will progress from the Applicant City Phase to the Candidate City Phase in the bid to host the Olympic Winter Games 2022. IOC president Thomas Bach announced this decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee IOC at a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The IOC encouraged each city to produce a bid best suited to their own unique circumstances, with plans that reflect their own specific vision for how the Games can benefit their cities and regions and ensure positive, sustainable legacies for their populations.

The decision on who will host the Games is due to be made during the IOC Session in Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015.