All three cities have been campaigning on a low-key basis since October last year. Now accepted as finalists, they will be permitted to launch more visible international lobbying efforts.
Today’s announcement in Lausanne represents the fewest number of Winter Games bids since 1981, when three finalists competed for the 1988 Olympics, awarded to Calgary.
The Savoy lakeside resort of Annecy is making its first Olympic bid. Munich, which staged the 1972 Summer Olympics, aims to become the first city to host both the summer and winter games. Pyeongchang is bidding for a third consecutive time after losing out to Vancouver for 2010 and Sochi for 2014.
The finalists will have to submit detailed bid proposals to the IOC by January 11, 2011. An IOC evaluation commission will visit each city next year, and the full IOC will select the 2018 host by secret ballot at its session in Durban, South Africa, on July 6, 2011.
