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Swiss Voters Reject Chance to Host 2026 Winter Olympics


FILE - A poster against the bid is pictured ahead of a local vote on a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics Games in Sion, Switzerland, June 6, 2018.
FILE - A poster against the bid is pictured ahead of a local vote on a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics Games in Sion, Switzerland, June 6, 2018.

There will be no Winter Olympics in Switzerland in 2026.

Voters in the southern canton of Valais rejected a proposal Sunday to bid on the games that would have been centered in the Swiss city of Sion.

Voters apparently balked at the high cost the canton would have had to put up to host the games — an estimated $101 million.

Supporters of the bid say it was a "reasonable and sustainable" project and that the games would have brought billions into the local economy.

Two other Swiss regions had also rejected hosting the games in earlier referendums.

With Switzerland out of the running, the International Olympic Committee will likely choose between Turin and Milan, Italy; Graz, Austria; Erzurum, Turkey; Calgary in Alberta, Canada; Sapporo, Japan; and Stockholm to host the 2026 Winter Games.

A decision is expected in September 2019.

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