Norway would not bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics in the Arctic city of Tromsoe due to the escalating costs, according to reports reaching here from Oslo Monday.

At a meeting in Oslo on Monday, the Board of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports (NIF) decided to withdraw the application for Tromsoe to host the Winter Olympics in 2018. The vote was nine for withdrawal, while three voted for a compromise proposal.

It was a difficult decision, Tove Paule, the chairman of NIF, said at a press conference.

Last week, a government-commissioned study estimated that the cost of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics would be about 29 billion kroner (about 4.9 billion U.S. dollars), or nearly double the figure used by the Tromsoe organizing committee.

Trond Giske, Minister of Culture and Sports, has all along said the Games had to have the full support from the sports organizations, before the government could issue a state guarantee, needed for the preparations to go ahead.

The city of Tromsoe won the contest to become Norway's candidate to host the 2018 Winter Olympics last year.

The International Olympic Committee will in July 2011 decide on which city will be hosting the 23rd Winter Olympics.

(Xinhua News Agency October 7, 2008)