Salzburg: No Go for 2014

Wednesday was a bitter day for Salzburg, as news broke that the city will not host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The picturesque Austrian city, famed for its associations with Mozart and The Sound of Music, had reached the final voting stage alongside Russia's Sochi and South Korea's Pyeongchang.

However, it was the Russian resort that walked away with the prize, prompting shouts of joy in the Moscow camp and a fair few tears from the Austrians.

Many hold that the Austrian bid was scuppered by recent revelations concerning the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. In May this year, the IOC fined the Austrian Olympic Committee 500,000 pounds for a group of athletes' involvement in doping, a furore that had already seen six Austrian sportsmen banned for life.

It was bad timing for the Salzburg's bid, although some Austrian's have suggested that money was the over-riding factor in the Russian victory.