Oslo became the latest city to drop its bid for the 2022 Winter Games after the Norwegian government rejected financial backing for the project on Wednesday amid concerns the games were too costly. Oslo is the fourth city to pull out of a race that has been thrown into turmoil in the wake of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, where the overall price tag was put at $51 billion, scaring off politicians and taxpayers across Europe and leaving the International Olympic Committee with a major image crisis. Oslo's fate was sealed after the ruling Conservative party failed to support financial guarantees for the bid. The IOC knew at the time that Oslo faced significant political and public opposition, but hoped the bid could secure support by the end of the year. While most of that money went to long-term regeneration and infrastructure projects, not the cost of running the games, cities remain wary of the expense. Among other things, Bach wants to add flexibility to the bidding process, allowing cities to propose their own concepts rather than adapting to a strict IOC blueprint.