The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today launched the bid process for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016. The 203 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have been invited to submit the name of a city within their jurisdiction as an Applicant to host the Games in nine years' time. The key dates of the procedure are as follows:

Phase I -- known as the candidature acceptance procedure, involves a thorough review by the IOC of each city's potential to organise the 2016 Olympic Games. Cities will be asked to reply to a questionnaire. Their answers will be studied by the IOC in order to help the IOC Executive Board to select the cities that will become Candidate Cities and therefore move on to Phase II.

Phase II -- known as the candidature procedure, Candidate Cities will be requested to submit their Candidature File, that is to say an in-depth description of their Olympic project, and prepare for the visit of the IOC Evaluation Commission. The Evaluation Commission will make a detailed technical assessment of each candidature and publish a report one month before the election of the Host City for IOC members to review.

All relevant information and deadlines relating to the first phase of the 2016 bid process are contained in the Candidature Acceptance Procedure and Questionnaire.

(Credit: IOC. Click here for further information.)