The idea that the city of one million host the Winter Olympics first surfaced in the 1970s. According to the National Olympic Committee, the city has all the necessary sports facilities, including the Medeu skating rink, which was called the "factory of records" in Soviet times, the Chimbulakh mountain ski slopes, the Sholak sports palace, and many other facilities.
The Russian city of Sochi, the Austrian city of Salzburg, and the South Korean city of Pyeongchang also submitted bids to the IOC. The Bulgarian city of Sophia and the Georgian resorts of Borjomi and Bakuriani, as well as Spain and France are also expected to bid for the 2014 Winter Games.
The host of the 2014 Winter Olympics will be selected at the IOC session in July 2007 in Guatemala.
