AKIPRESS.COM - The Ukrainian city of Lviv has withdrawn its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the third contender to drop out of the race, reports The Associated Press.
Lviv officials say they decided to pull out because of the continuing political and security crisis in the country. They plan to bid for the 2026 Games instead.
The decision, which had been expected, comes one week before the IOC selects the short list of finalists for the 2022 Olympics.
Three cities are left in contention: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; and Oslo. With Lviv out, the IOC executive board is likely to retain all three rather than cut the field.
Lviv's withdrawal follows earlier pullouts by Stockholm and Krakow, Poland.
The decision was announced Monday following discussions between Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and IOC President Thomas Bach.