The Austrian city of Salzburg has submitted a bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympiad, kicking off what will likely be a fierce competition with the South Korean city of Pyeongchang.

With Pyeongchang and Salzburg having thrown their hats into the ring, more hopefuls are expected to join the bidding, including the cities of Almaty in Kazakhstan, Sochi in Russia, Bakuriani in Georgia, Jaca in Spain, and Ostersund in Sweden.

The Austrian city submitted a bid to host the 2010 Winter Games, but finished in the final voting behind Vancouver and Pyeongchang.

Applications to host the 2014 Games are due on Thursday, with the final decision on the host city to be made at the 2007 IOC General Assembly in Guatemala.