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DURBAN, South Africa (AP) -- The South Korean city of Pyeongchang has been awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics after failing in two previous attempts.
Pyeongchang defeated rivals Munich and Annecy, France, on Wednesday in the first round of a secret ballot of the International Olympic Committee.
The Koreans had lost narrowly in previous bids for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
Pyeongchang will be the first city in Asia outside Japan to host the Winter Games. Japan held the games in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998.
Meanwhile, Switzerland has reacted to PyeongChang's victory by stepping up its campaign to bid for the 2022 Games.
The Swiss Olympic Committee believes South Korea's win Wednesday will improve Europe's chances of being the next host, and says its executive committee will choose a preferred candidate on Aug. 11.
A joint bid from the luxury mountain resorts of Davos and St. Moritz and a city-based candidacy in Geneva are on a shortlist of five options.
The chosen candidate will need further approval from Switzerland's sports federations at a meeting next year. Switzerland has a strong Alpine sports tradition, hosting the Winter Olympics twice -- at St. Moritz in 1928 and '48.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
