2006: Turin
Turin, Italy, was awarded the 2006 Winter Games in June 1999. The decision stirred controversy, as many felt the decision to pass on runner-up Sion, Switzerland, was a slap at Marc Hodler, an IOC official who alleged that corruption and vote-buying has determined the locations of the Games in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

2008: Beijing
The IOC selected Beijing as the host city July 13, 2001. The other candidates were Paris; Toronto; Osaka, Japan; and Istanbul. Beijing won the vote despite pressure from human rights organizations who say the Games should not be held in China, claiming the government suppresses political dissent and religious freedom.

China lost several sports events in 2003 during the height of the SARS scare, but Olympic plans have not changed.

2010: Vancouver
The Games were awarded to Vancouver (audio: Rogge | Michaelis) on July 2, 2003, in a close vote over Pyeongchang, South Korea. Canada threw its weight behind the bid after Toronto's defeat in the bidding for the 2008 Summer Games.

The other finalist was Salzburg, Austria. Bern, Switzerland, was named as a finalist but withdrew in September 2002. In August 2002, the IOC cut four candidates: 1984 host Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Jaca, Spain; Harbin, China; and Andorra La Vella, capital of the mountain state of Andorra.

2012

On Nov. 2, 2002, the U.S. Olympic Committee named New York as its nominee to host the 2012 Games. San Francisco was the other finalist. In August 2002, the committee eliminated Baltimore/Washington and Houston. Cincinnati, Dallas, Los Angeles and Tampa also submitted bids.

Internationally, Hungary considered entering a bid for Budapest but declined. Toronto abandoned its plans to bid after another Canadian city, Vancouver, was awarded the 2010 Games. A field of nine candidates met the July 2003 bidding deadline.

On May 18, 2004, the IOC trimmed the field to five, eliminating Havana; Istanbul; Leipzig, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The remaining candidates, in addition to New York: Paris, London, Madrid, Moscow

The IOC will name the host in July 2005.

2014 and beyond

The bidding process for the 2014 Winter Olympics is not yet under way. One possible entry: A combined effort between New York state (including two-time host Lake Placid) and the Canadian province of Quebec.

After Pyeongchang's narrow defeat in the voting for the 2010 Winter Games, the South Korean town of Muju said it would enter the 2014 bidding.