2018 Bid Process Officially Launched

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the bid process for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018. National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have been invited to submit the name of a city within their jurisdiction as an applicant to host the Games in a little under nine years’ time. The key dates of the procedure are as follows:

Phase I - known as the candidature acceptance procedure, involves a thorough review by the IOC of each city’s potential to organise the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Cities will be asked to reply to a questionnaire. Their answers will be studied by the IOC in order to help the IOC Executive Board select the cities that will become Candidate Cities and therefore move on to Phase II.

15 October 2009: NOCs to inform the IOC of the name of an Applicant City

12-28 February 2009: Cities participate in the Vancouver 2010 Observer Programme

15 March 2010: Submission of Application File and guarantee letters to the IOC

March-June 2010: Examination of replies by the IOC

End June 2010: IOC Executive Board acceptance of Candidate Cities

Phase II - known as the candidature procedure, Candidate Cities will be requested to submit their Candidature File, that is to say an in-depth description of their Olympic and Paralympic project, and prepare for the visit of the IOC Evaluation Commission. The Evaluation Commission will make a detailed technical assessment of each candidature and publish a report one month before the election of the Host City for IOC members to review.

11 January 2011: Submission of Candidature File and guarantees to the IOC

February-March 2011: March 2011 Evaluation Commission visits

One month before the election of the Host City: Report of the IOC Evaluation Commission for 2018

6 July 2011: Election of the Host City of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games during the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa

All relevant information and deadlines relating to the first phase of the 2018 bid process are contained in the Candidature Acceptance Procedure.