Ever wondered how the location of the next Olympic Games is chosen? Well, it’s not an easy task. The International Olympic Committee or IOC is the body responsible for this task. The country selection is made 7 years prior the scheduled Olympic Games to allow the chosen country to make the necessary preparations for the said event. If a country wishes to be the next setting of the prestigious event, several processes must be undertaken.

First, the city must make a formal proposal or intent to host the Olympics. This letter is then submitted to the National Olympic Committee. Once the letter is received by the IOC, the county is then listed with other hopeful cities. An applicant city then receives a set of questionnaire and must respond to it. The questions vary and may cover topics about their motivation to host, amenities to be used, venues and forms of transportation. Once answered, the IOC reviews and chooses the top 5 countries then known as ‘candidate cities.’

Next step is another round of questions for the candidate cities. The questions now cover more detailed queries regarding media coverage, structures, and construction of the Olympic Village. An Evaluation Committee then steps in to evaluate the answers and visit each country for 4 days after which a recommendation is made. This does not end here, each active member of the IOC then votes for his or her choice. If a member resides in one of the 5 countries, he is not allowed to vote so as to remove bias. If in the 1st voting no country wins, the country with the lowest votes is eliminated and another voting happens. This continues until a country is selected.

This is the rigorous process a country undertakes to be chosen to host the Olympics.