From six cities vying to host the Winter Games, the list is now down to just three with Beijing, Oslo and the Kazakh capital Almaty.

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) made the decision on Monday to retain three finalists instead of narrowing down the list further.

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Beijing, Oslo and Almaty made the cut after Sweden's Stockholm, Krakow, Poland, and Lviv of Ukraine dropped out of the race.

"The IOC is very happy to see three very different approaches with regard to the organization of the games," said Thomas Back, president of the Lausanne, Switzerland-based organization.

"This gives the IOC a choice among three diverse bids with different legacy plans, with different approaches, with different budgets," he added.

The IOC gave the candidates a January 2015 deadline to submit their detailed bid documents. The three-way contest will be decided by the full IOC membership on July 31, 2015, in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

If Beijing beats out Oslo and Almaty, it will earn the distinction of being the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Beijing's prospects of securing the bid hinge on existing Olympics facilities from the 2008 Games, the government's drive to promote winter sports in China, and strong support among the Chinese people, with 90 percent of the population backing Beijing's campaign.

Beijing is looking to Zhangjiakou, a city in the north and about 190 kilometers from the Chinese capital, for the venue of Alpine events.

Oslo's chances do not look as good as Beijing's. The Norwegian government has yet to throw its official support to the project. It will make a decision in autumn.

The cost of holding the Olympics has become a subject of debate. To assuage critics and assure supporters, Bach announced that the IOC will provide US$750 million to the city hosting the Games, and expects local organizers to breakeven or make a surplus on the event.

TagsBeijing Olympic bid, 2022 Winter Olympics, International Olympics Commitee