August 9, 2009 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched the bid process for hosting the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, setting a deadline of October 15, 2009 for national Olympic committees to inform it of applicant cities. Applicant cities will participate in the observer program at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver (CAN), ahead of the deadline for submission of application files on March 15, 2010.

The IOC will confirm what bids have been accepted next June. Candidate cities will have until January 11, 2011 to submit their candidature files (bid books). The winner will be announced by the IOC Session in Durban (RSA) on July 6, 2011.

Cities that have expressed interest in bidding to host the Games so far include Munich (GER), PyeongChang (KOR), Annecy (FRA), and possibly Harbin (CHN) and Almaty (KAZ).