Barcelona to Bid for 2022 Winter Olympics

Barcelona, Spain, has formalized a bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, according to reports.

Barcelona’s Mayor Xaviar Trias confirmed the city’s intentions during a meeting held in the French Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona, reported Spanish Publication, The Independent. The city, which hosted the Games in 1992, if successful, would be the first to host both the Summer and Winter Games.

The city’s location and mild climate would mean that snow events would have to be held two hours away from the city in the ski resorts of the Pyrenees.

Due to the fact that Madrid is currently in the running to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, Barcelona’s bid will be terminated if the capital wins its bid. Furthermore, with only 40 days to go until the IOC decides the 2020 host city, Trias himself admitted the timing of the city’s intentions may be “indecent”.

Spain has become known in recent years for bidding frequently for Olympics Games. Since 1992 the country has bid for nine different Games (1998, 2002, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020) with three different cities (Jaca, Seville and Madrid).

Barcelona’s application must be submitted to the Spanish Olympic Committee by 14 November. The final decision as to who will host the 2022 Winter Olympics will be made in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2015.