OSLO, Norway--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The City of Oslo and the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports has presented the application for a Financial Shortfall Guarantee for a possible Norwegian bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to the Ministry of Culture.

In a ceremony at the office of the Hon. Minister of Culture, Ms Hadia Tadjik, in Oslo today, the joint application for a Financial Shortfall Guarantee to the Norwegian Government from the City of Oslo and the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee (NOC), regarding a possible bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Oslo was presented.

– The hosting of Olympic and Paralympic Games in Oslo, will, if the plans pan out, have great implications for the whole country, stated the Minister of Culture.

The application is the result of more than a year of comprehensive evaluations and recommendations organised by the Municipality of Oslo in collaboration with the NOC. The choice of a total concept including analyses of various models and venues, economical impact for society, and a separate process of external quality evaluation, is the base of the joint application presented today.

– This is an important day for Norwegian sports and indeed for the City of Oslo and the whole country, concludes Mr Børre Rognlien, the President of the NOC. All Norwegian summer and winter sports federations – representing over 12000 local sports clubs - supports a possible bid, and we recognize the tremendous opportunities for the younger generations by linking Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2022 Norway with the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Lillehammer in 2016. By being the host for YOG 2016, we aim to further develop a modern and youth oriented content of Olympism and to underline the importance of a holistic approach to the development of a new generation of athletes. This approach will be an important component in the work leading up to possible Olympic and Paralympic Games in Norway in 2022. We are also proud to present a top class venue concept where half of the venues already exists, states Rognlien.

– This represents a unique opportunity to create and take part in something great, with implications way beyond our national boundaries and for a whole new generation. The Winter Games in Oslo will allow us a rare opportunity to present Norway as a destination for winter sport, as a modern knowledge based society, and as an attractive partner. These will be Olympic and Paralympic Games for the whole nation, states the Governing Mayor, Mr Stian Berger Røsland, Head of the Oslo City Government.

The Mayors of the co-operating municipalities of Lillehammer, Øyer, Ringebu, Lørenskog and Bærum, in addition to the host city itself and the NOC, were all present at todays ceremony.

If the inhabitants of Oslo approves the plans to go ahead with the application in the referendum on 9^th September 2013, the Government will continue its work with the evaluation of the application. The Norwegian Parliament will make its decision on the Financial Shortfall Guarantee during the autumn of 2014.

President of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Mr Børre Rognlien, Mr Stian Berger Røsland, Head of the Oslo City Government and Ms Hadia Tadjik, minister of Culture (Photo: Business Wire)