KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The International Olympic Committee will vote Friday on the host city for the 2022 Winter Games, choosing between Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Almaty, former capital of the ex-Soviet Republic in central Asia, is making its second Olympic bid, but this is the first time it has reached the final stage.
Here's a quick look at the Almaty bid:
___
Population: 1.6 million.
Previous Olympics: None.
Previous winter bids: 2014 (failed to make list of finalists).
Bid leader: Andrey Kryukov.
Venues: 10 existing or under construction.
Olympic Villages: 3.
Organizing committee budget: $1.752 billion.
Infrastructure budget: $4.5 billion, including projects not directly for Olympics.
Public Support: 85 percent in Almaty; 87 percent in Kazakhstan (IOC poll results).
Dates of games: To be determined.
Slogan: "Keeping it Real."
Pros: Compact "plug-and-play" layout with venues within 18-mile (30-kilometer) radius; short travel times and distances; traditional winter setting with tall mountains and plenty of natural snow; use of existing venues; relatively low costs; young, emerging country — former Soviet republic — looking to establish itself on world stage.
Cons: Relatively unknown to IOC members; limited experience in hosting major international sports events; no Kazakh IOC members or natural support base; uncertainty over country's future political and economic stability beyond President Nursultan Nazarbayev; IOC concerns over potential shortage of hotel rooms; air pollution; human rights issues.
IOC evaluation report: "Almaty's Games concept offers a compact plan that makes good use of existing venues and the natural advantages of the nearby mountains."
Status: Still the underdog.
Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Olympics, is seeking to become the first city to stage both summer and winter games.
Here's a quick look at the Beijing bid:
___
Population: 21 million.
Previous Olympics: 2008 Summer Games.
Previous winter bids: None.
Bid leader: Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun.
Number of venues: 6 existing and 3 planned.
Olympic Villages: 3.
Organizing committee budget: $1.558 billion.
Infrastructure budget: $1.511 billion (not including high-speed rail line between Beijing and mountain venues).
Public Support: 88 percent in Beijing; 92 percent in China (IOC poll results).
Proposed dates: Feb. 4-20.
Slogan: "Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow."
Pros: Experience of hosting 2008 Olympics; use of 2008 venues, including "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube;" China's political and economic stability; familiarity with IOC members; seen as safe choice that can be counted on to deliver; potential of developing winter sports market to hundreds of millions of Chinese; strong campaign machine.
Cons: Lack of winter sports tradition, atmosphere and natural snow; heavy reliance on water supplies for artificial snow-making; long distances between Beijing and mountain venues; sense among some IOC members of "been-there-done-that" in Beijing; air pollution; human rights issues.
IOC evaluation report: "Beijing 2022 has offered a regional concept intended to develop a winter sports market for more than 300 million people in northern China."
Status: The city to beat.
