The three candidates to host the 2026 Winter Olympics

Stockholm had originally sought to host the 2022 Winter Games but withdrew its candidacy due to opposition from citizens and politicans. And the bid committee aren't having it all their own way this time either; state guarantees demanded by the IOC are yet to be confirmed. Should Stockholm win, events will also be held in Are (skiing) and Falun (Nordic).

"Sweden wins gold in tug of war!" That was the headline the first time the Olympics came to Stockholm for the 1912 Summer Games. The equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics also took place here after Australian officials refused to relax quarantine regulations to allow horses to be transported to Melbourne. Sweden has a proven Olympic tradition, but will that continue in 2026?

Ten times Sweden's oldest winter sport location has applied to host the Olympics and 10 times it has been rejected. After unsuccessful attempts in conjunction with Lahti (Finland), Ostersund and Goteborg, the town of Are is now hoping that the Stockholm bid will be 11th time lucky. A regular host of the alpine skiing World Cup, the 2019 World Championships will also take place in Are.

When it comes to Nordic disciplines, Falun is the birthplace of Swedish skiing. Home to the Swedish Ski Association, Falun hosts international cross-country skiing tournaments on a yearly basis, including the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1954, 1974, 1993 and 2015. The 37,000-population community was also part of the unsuccessful Olympic bids in 1988 and 1992.

After unsuccessful bids in 1964 and 1968, Calgary finally got the green light in 1988. The Canadian metropolis in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is home to 1.3 million people and is also famous for the Calgary Stampede, an annual rodeo festival. But critics have attacked the bid's financial planning and risk assessment. A plebescite in which people voted against now make this unlikely.

The Canadians were planning on a comparatively small budget of "only" 3.5 billion euros ($3.97 billion) which would be spent chiefly on modernizing existing venues - including the Saddledome (pictured) where East Germany's Katarina Witt won figure skating gold in 1988. A new figure skating and speed skating arena is also part of the proposal.

One story from Calgary 1988 has gone down in Olympic history as the Jamaican four-bob, mocked by many, qualified for the Games. The team was ultimately penalized for an error but still conquered the hearts of winter sports fans. The story would later be taken up by Disney and enjoyed cinematic success.

The IOC will make its final decision on the 2026 Winter Games on 23 June 2019 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The general meeting was due to take place in Milan but, with the Italian city also in the running in conjunction with Cortina D'Ampezzo, the IOC didn't want to risk Milan enjoying home advantage. Still, with the government behind the bid but refusing to cover costs, the candidacy is problematic.

Environmentalists are concerned that the Valle del Boite, in which Cortina D'Ampezzo is located, can't handle the amount of building work required to host the games on time. Unlike Milan, Cortina already has Olympic pedigree. The 1944 games were due to take place there but were cancelled due to the Second World War. The 6,500-population village was selected again in 1956.

It was at those 1956 games that an Austrian took center-stage, as 21-year-old Toni Sailer won three golds in the downhill. It was also a good year for the hosts as Italy finally established itself as a world-renowned destination for winter sports. The rich and poor came from far and wide and evenJames Bond had a high-speed chase down the piste. Cortina is dreaming of the Olympics again.