Annecy chosen for Olympic bid

ANNECY has been chosen to represent France’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Head of the French Olympic committee (CNOSF) Henri Sérandour announced Annecy, in the Haute-Savoie, had been chosen at a press conference in Paris, ahead of Grenoble and Nice.
He said: “Annecy will have the honour of representing France’s bid. Up until July 2011 the CNOSF will not let Annecy out of its sights.”
It received the clear majority of the committee’s votes with 23, Nice came second with 10 votes and Grenoble third with nine.
Mayor of Annecy Jean-Luc Rigaut said: “It is a great honour to put forward our exceptional area, home to the purest lake in the world and Mont-Blanc, as a potential candidate to host the winter games.”
Bids must be supported by national Olympic bodies in order to be accepted by the IOC, which will pick the 2018 venue in 2011.
Cities in South Korea, Germany, Norway and the United States are also expected to bid.