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Ukraine's Lviv Withdraws Bid For 2022 Winter Games


The Ukrainian city of Lviv is dropping its candidacy for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games due to the deadly separatist conflict raging in the country's east and the ensuing economic crisis.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Lviv's withdrawal was "a result of the present political and economic circumstances in Ukraine."

The city will bid for the 2026 event instead.

Lviv, in western Ukraine, had been vying with Beijing, Oslo, and Almaty to host the 2022 games.

The IOC said the decision followed discussions between its president, Thomas Bach, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and pole-vaulting legend Sergiy Bubka, who heads the country's National Olympic Committee.

Yatsenyuk said a bid for 2026 "would have excellent potential for the economic recovery of the country."

The winner for the 2022 Olympics will be announced on July 31.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

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