A look at the 2026 Winter Olympic bids in Monday's vote

While the Winter Olympics still has issues attracting bidders, two candidates have stayed on Monday's ballot to pick the 2026 host.

The contest is formally a choice between Milan-Cortina and Stockholm-Are. Effectively it is northern Italy against Sweden and Latvia as the costs and duties of Olympic hosting shift from cities to regions and multiple nations.

The International Olympic Committee hopes — and arguably needs — the 2026 Winter Games to ease concerns of taxpayers worldwide that hosting a two-week sports festival would be a too-expensive luxury.

FILE - In this Wednesday, April 26, 2017 file photo, Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the OPCW's 20th anniversary in The Hague, Netherlands. Sweden is sending its heir to the throne and head of government to Switzerland to support its bid in the 2026 Winter Olympics host vote on Monday, June 24, 2019. The Stockholm-Are 2026 campaign says Crown Princess Victoria is “the nation’s most popular public figure” and will join the delegation in Lausanne. (Peter Dejong, Pool Photo via AP, File)

"Both countries are very traditional and strong winter sport countries," said IOC President Thomas Bach, who wanted a return to Europe after two Winter Games in Asia.

Pyeongchang in 2018 will be followed in 2022 by Beijing, which took advantage of European rivals, including Stockholm, being wary of the cost or rejected by local voters.

Both 2026 candidates likely would have dropped out of previous contests that had stricter rules and deadlines.

FILE - In this Saturday, April 6, 2019 file photo, from left, Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala is flanked by President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, CONI, Giovanni Malago' and Winter Olympics Milano Cortina bid IOC Evaluation Commission manager Octavian Morariu, during a winter Olympics Milan Cortina bid IOC Evaluation Commission final news conference, in Milan, Italy. Two candidates have stayed on the ballot to be held on Monday, June 24, 2019 to pick the 2026 Winter Olympics host. The IOC worked hard to help keep the Italian and Swedish candidates in the contest, giving both extra time to get their government’s backing amid taxpayer concerns that Olympic hosting is an expensive luxury. Olympic officials hope the 2026 contest can shape a more efficient type of bidding and hosting. (AP PhotoLuca Bruno, File)

Now, the IOC makes fewer demands early in the process, urges using existing venues and coaxes candidates by letting them secure key government promises up to the last minute.

Milan emerged strongest last month from an Olympic panel's evaluation.

"We're the forerunner and we take pride in that fact," Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malago said during the campaign.

FILE - In this Friday, July 31, 2015 file photo, participants celebrate following the announcement that Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics at a gathering outside of the Beijing Olympic Stadium, also known as the Birds Nest, in Beijing. The sign reads "Warm celebration of the successful Winter Olympics bid". Two candidates have stayed on the ballot to be held on Monday, June 24, 2019 to pick the 2026 Winter Olympics host. The IOC worked hard to help keep the Italian and Swedish candidates in the contest, giving both extra time to get their government’s backing amid taxpayer concerns that Olympic hosting is an expensive luxury. Olympic officials hope the 2026 contest can shape a more efficient type of bidding and hosting. (AP PhotoMark Schiefelbein, File)

Still, the votes of around 85 IOC members — many from countries with little snow and ice sports tradition — can be tough to read for Winter Games.

Here's a look at the vote:

NORTHERN ITALY vs. SWEDEN/LATVIA

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach delivers a speech during the inauguration of the new IOC headquarter on Sunday, June 23, 2019 in Lausanne ahead of the decision on 2026 Winter Games host. (Fabrice CoffriniPoolKeystone via AP)

Milan is the city base, sharing the bid name with picturesque Alpine ski resort Cortina d'Ampezzo about 400 kilometers (250 miles) away by road. Other towns in the middle would also stage events.

A wider spread three-way hosting with Turin further west was avoided when the 2006 Winter Games host withdrew last year.

Milan's storied 80,000-seat San Siro soccer stadium is slated for the opening ceremony, and the closer is a Roman amphitheater in Verona.

Stockholm on Sweden's southern coast is 540 kilometers (335 miles) from Are in the northwest.

Almost as far across the Baltic Sea is Latvia, which has a bobsled track at Sigulda. It's the best option to avoid building a white elephant venue in Sweden.

"This would give Latvia an Olympic experience the country might not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy," the IOC evaluation said.

OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE

Split-nation hosting is not new to Sweden. In 1956, when Melbourne hosted the Summer Games in November and December, quarantine rules for horses meant equestrian events were held in Stockholm in June.

Sweden has never held the Winter Games, though Stockholm also hosted the 1912 Summer Games.

Italy has hosted two Winter Games — 1956 in Cortina and 2006 in Turin — plus the 1960 Summer Games in Rome.

HEAD-TO-HEAD CONTEST

The IOC has just two candidates for the second straight Winter Games vote.

Four years ago, Beijing won a 44-40 vote narrowly over Almaty, Kazakhstan, after several contenders dropped out, including Stockholm in the early stages.

For 2026, a St. Moritz-Davos plan failed for the second straight time, and Switzerland's next option, Sion, was downed in a public vote. Opposition from Austrian voters also halted a bid, and the IOC stopped Erzurum, Turkey, going forward. Calgary, the 1988 host, lost a public vote and 1972 host Sapporo, Japan, did not follow through on its initial interest.

PUBLIC SUPPORT

The Italian and Swedish bids both had bumpy passages to Lausanne.

The Swedes have been tested to unite lawmakers. A new city government in Stockholm only formed in October and is not an official signatory to the key IOC hosting contract.

A minority national government coalition was approved only in January after being in limbo for months.

Italy also formed a new coalition last year, which gave caution to Olympic officials who had seen Rome drop out for the 2020 and 2024 Summer Games. Turin also pulled out in a squabble with Milan.

The IOC's own polling of public enthusiasm showed "83% support in Italy" and "55% in favor in Sweden."

FEW NEW VENUES

Avoiding white elephants is the core value of modern Olympic bidding.

Milan needs to build a hockey arena with private funding. An athlete village in the city is planned anyway for university student housing.

The IOC's efficiency drive means it wants Bormio cut as the men's Alpine ski venue, and the women's venue Cortina used instead.

The Swedish bid has concerned the IOC for lacking "binding venue funding guarantees" for the athlete village in Stockholm, plus new arenas for speedskating and a shared venue for cross-country skiing and biathlon.

The IOC's evaluation team suggested using existing ski venues in Falun and Ostersund.

BUDGET

Russia's $51 billion spending — on venues, transport projects and budget overruns — for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi still causes shivers in Olympic circles.

The 2026 bid needs to be seen as cost-controlled to help reassure potential future bidders.

The Italians plans for a games operating budget of 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion).

The Swedes estimate costs of 13.1 billion kronor ($1.4 billion) using no public funds.

The IOC has promised to kick in $925 million for the organizers, while security is an extra cost funded by taxpayers.

VOTING PROCESS

The IOC has 95 members, including royalty from Britain, Denmark, Jordan and the Emir of Qatar. Not all will vote Monday.

Three are suspended while implicated in wrongdoing, some rarely attend, while the members from Italy and Sweden are not eligible to vote.

The vote, starting a three-day annual meeting, is at the same SwissTech conference center in Lausanne where two years earlier IOC members agreed to combine the 2024 and 2028 Olympic votes — making winners of both Paris and Los Angeles.

The winner will have a simple majority of valid votes cast. It should be announced around 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Monday.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres will host the NHL draft in June, commissioner Gary Bettman announced Monday, with highly prized prospect Gavin McKenna as the centerpiece of the event.

Bettman made the announcement while joined by Sabres executives, including team owner Terry Pegula, during a news conference before Buffalo's home game against the Florida Panthers.

“This is a great sports town, a great hockey market. The reception we get here is always terrific,” Bettman said. “Fans are knowledgeable and passionate. We’ve got a great organization with great ownership. All the factors that you would take into account, the boxes are checked in a first-class way.”

The two-day draft was already set for June 26-27, with the league going with a decentralized format for a second straight year. The format features prospects and their families attending the draft, while teams make the picks from their home markets.

The draft in Buffalo will be held at the Sabres home arena, KeyBank Center. That’s a switch from last year, when the two-day event was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Buffalo has also been home to the NHL’s annual pre-draft combine since 2015, and will once again host the league's top prospects this spring.

This will mark the fourth time the Sabres host the draft — the second-most by any NHL team behind only Montreal's 27. Buffalo most recently held the event in 2016, when Auston Matthews was selected No. 1 by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This time, all eyes will be on McKenna, the Penn State freshman forward who has long been projected to be the 2026 draft’s No. 1 pick.

The draft announcement coincided with NHL Central Scouting releasing its mid-season rankings of prospects with McKenna topping the list of North American prospects, ahead of North Dakota's Keaton Verhoeff. Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg tops the list of international players.

The 18-year-old McKenna is from Whitehorse, Yukon, and made a major splash this summer when he elected to leave the Canadian Hockey League after two-plus seasons in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and make the jump to Happy Valley. The move south came in the first offseason after the NCAA lifted its longtime ban in making CHL players eligible to compete at the college ranks.

McKenna has been labeled a “generational talent,” and regarded as the 2026 draft’s top prospect since 2024.

McKenna ranks fourth on the Nittany Lions and seventh among NCAA freshmen with four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 18 games.

The college ranks are considered more challenging because a majority of players are 19 and older, as opposed to the CHL where the age range is 16 to 20.

Pegula is a Penn State alum, and donated more than $100 million to help launch the Nittany Lions men’s and women’s hockey program in 2013, which included the construction of a new arena that bears his name.

“When we opened the arena, I remember part of my speech was maybe someday the next Sidney Crosby will come out of this arena,” Pegula said, referring to the Penguins captain. “So I don’t know where Gavin’s going to get drafted. I’m not making any predictions. But he’s a great young player and it’s nice to prospects like that starting to come out of Central PA.”

As a member of Canada’s bronze medal-winning team at the recent world junior championships, McKenna finished the tournament second with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games.

McKenna thrived at Medicine Hat, where he had 91 goals and 198 assists for 289 points in 158 career games. Last season, he failed to register a point in just four outings, while closing the year with a 45-game point streak in which McKenna combined for 32 goals and 100 points.

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Canada's Gavin McKenna speaks to media following a practice during the IIHF World Junior Championship, in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada forward Gavin McKenna (9) controls the puck during the second period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship bronze medal game against Finland, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)