The citizens of the Swiss canton of Valais have rejected a proposal to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. The proposal to fund a bid failed to pass by a vote of 54 per cent.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed Switzerland would not nominate a different city meaning that the nation is officially out of the running.
The IOC believes the voters rejected the bid due to “outdated information on the cost of the Games”, saying in a statement that this was the “main concern for those voting against the funding”.
Six countries remain in contention, with IOC members making their decision in September 2019.
Those bids are Turin and Milan in Italy, Graz in Austria, Stockholm in Sweden, Turkey’s Erzurum, Calgary in Canada and Sapporo in Japan.