Bids for the 2014 Winter Olympics Bids for the 2014 Winter Olympics Seven applicant cities presented bids to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (formally known as "XXII Olympic Winter Games" and "XI Paralympic Winter Games") to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC Executive Board shortlisted three cities—Sochi, Russia; Salzburg, Austria; and Pyeongchang, South Korea—with Sochi winning the IOC's July 2007 final vote. The three selected candidates, chosen on 22 June 2006, delivered to the IOC their Candidature Files (known as "bid books") on 10 January 2007. From February to April 2007, an ad hoc committee performed visits to the candidate cities and prepared
Winter Olympic Games speed skiing, bandy and skijoring, were demonstration sports but never incorporated as Olympic sports. The rise of television as a global medium for communication enhanced the profile of the Games. It generated income via the sale of broadcast rights and advertising, which has become lucrative for the IOC. This allowed outside interests, such as television companies and corporate sponsors, to exert influence. The IOC has had to address numerous criticisms over the decades like internal scandals, the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Winter Olympians, as well as a political boycott of the Winter Olympics. Nations have used the Winter (as