BERNE (Reuters) - The Swiss Olympic committee's executive board has voted to back Sion's bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics, officials said on Tuesday. The decision still has to be ratified by the 86 Swiss Olympic sports federations, the so-called sport parliament, in April and could face a referendum before it is officially presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Beijing and the nearby city of Zhangjiakou beat Kazakhstan's Almaty for the right to host the 2022 winter Games after the other competitors dropped out, citing costs and other worries. "We are convinced that this can bring something new to Switzerland," said Jean-Philippe Rochat, a sports lawyer who heads the Sion organising committee. "We want to bring the games to Switzerland after 78 years.

Source: The Star March 07, 2017 18:11 UTC