Pyeongchang County has submitted the first bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics ahead of the Thursday deadline.

Pyeongchang is seen as a leading contender to land the event along with Salzburg, Austria, having lost to Vancouver in the bidding for the 2010 Winter Olympiad.

Other candidates include Sochi of Russia, Almaty of Kazakhstan, Sofia of Bulgaria and Jaca of Spain.

The International Olympic Committee will choose the venue in July 2007.