7 countries interested in hosting 2026 Winter Olympics

In this Feb. 27, 1994, file photo, the Olympic flag is carried past athletes bearing flags and the Olympic flame during the Winter Olympic Games closing ceremony, in Lillehammer, Norway.

Seven countries are interested in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics. Cities in Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey have submitted formal expressions of interest to the International Olympic Committee. The vote is scheduled for September 2019.

The IOC has tried to attract more bidders after only two candidates reached the vote for the 2022 Games.

Voters in and around Sion, Switzerland, will vote in June whether to continue with their bid, while Erzurum in eastern Turkey faces questions over security.

Four former host cities are also bidding, including 1972 host Sapporo, 1988 host Calgary and 1956 host Cortina d’Ampezzo. Turin, which hosted the 2006 Games, is part of a joint bid with Milan.