When the International Olympic Committee gathers Friday in Kuala Lumpur to bestow the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, it will have a curious choice. Cities closely associated with winter sports like Oslo and Stockholm have fallen by the wayside, leaving only two unconventional finalists, both with significant flaws.
Beijing, the favorite, is bidding to become the first city to hold both the Winter and Summer Games. Almaty, Kazakhstan, the other candidate, hopes to put itself on the international sporting map with a long-shot bid.
Whichever site is chosen will bring with it several major concerns.