ANKARA, April 3 -- Turkey's eastern Erzurum province applied to host the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, The National Olympic Committee of Turkey announced in a statement Tuesday.

Although Turkey has made several attempts to host the Summer Olympics, this is the country's first bid for the Winter Games.

Erzurum previously hosted the World Universiade Winter Games in 2011, World Mixed Doubles Curling Tournament in 2017 and the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2017.

With the best winter sport facilities and a top winter tourism attraction for skiers-- Palandoken Mountain, the eastern Turkish city will hold Winter European Youth Olympics in 2019.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to select the winning city at its session in Milan in September 2019.

Along with Turkey's Erzurum, Switzerland's Sion, Japan's Sapporo, Canada's Calgary, Austria's Graz, Swedish capital Stockholm and a joint bid from Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo, Milan and Turin are all in the initial process.

In 2013, Istanbul lost to Tokyo in the vote for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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