Salzburg in Austria, Pyeongchang in South Korea and Sochi in Russia were selected as finalists by the International Olympic Committee's executive board for the 2014 Winter Olympics today.
Almaty in Kazakhstan, Borjomi in Georgia, Jaca in Spain, and Sofia in Bulgaria were eliminated from the race....
The decision was made by the Olympics' 15-member ruling body. The full International Olympic Committee assembly, comprising more than 100 voters, will make the final decision on which will be the host city at its session in Guatemala City on July 4th 2007.
The board based its decision in part on a written report compiled by Committee experts evaluating 11 different criteria, including sports venues, security, financing and government support. Salzburg came out on top in the overall ratings, with a score between 8 and 9 out of 10. Pyeongchang was second with a figure of 7-8, with Sochi next with 6-7. Almaty was fourth with 5-6, followed by Jaca 4-5, Sofia 3-4 and Borjomi 2-3.
The cities making the cut have to pay a $500,000 fee to cover the bidding process, and will be required to submit their formal bid books by January 2007.
http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=1830