(10 Jun 2015) Almaty and Beijing officials presented their bid for the Winter Olympics in 2022 in Lausanne on Wednesday.
Almaty managed to win the attention of IOC members. The next challenge is to win their votes.
The bid from Kazakhstan came away with a big boost after impressing IOC members with its presentation.
Beijing, the long-time perceived favourite, also presented a solid case, but will now feel pressure from a legitimate challenger.
Members said Almaty scored points in Tuesday's presentations, hammering home the message that it is a winter sports city with plenty of mountains, natural snow and a compact layout.
Almaty's "Keeping It Real" slogan is a not-so-subtle dig at Beijing's lack of natural snow or winter sports tradition.
Almaty and Beijing, seeking to become the first city to host both summer and winter games, are the final candidates in a race depleted by the withdrawal of four European cities - including Oslo and Stockholm - for political or economic reasons.
About 100 IOC members will vote by secret ballot on 31 July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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