Bids for the 2002 Winter Olympics Bids for the 2002 Winter Olympics Four cities made the shortlist with their bids to host the 2002 Winter Olympics (formally known as "XIX Olympic Winter Games"), which were awarded to Salt Lake City, on June 16, 1995. The other cities shortlisted by the IOC Selection Committee chaired by Thomas Bach were Sion, Östersund and Quebec City. The host city selection procedure to for the 2002 Winter Olympics will go down in history as one of the most controversial, in light of the scandal regarding the interactions between the Salt Lake City bid team and International Olympic Committee (IOC) members;
Olympic Games of sports to encompass other winter activities. At the 1921 Olympic Congress in Lausanne, it was decided to hold a winter version of the Olympic Games. A winter sports week (it was actually 11 days) was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France, in connection with the Paris Games held three months later; this event became the first Winter Olympic Games. Although it was intended that the same country host both the Winter and Summer Games in a given year, this idea was quickly abandoned. The IOC mandated that the Winter Games be celebrated every four years on the same year