LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Left with little choice after the withdrawal of three contenders, the International Olympic Committee retained the three remaining cities Monday in the troubled race for the 2022 Winter Games. Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing, and Oslo made the list of finalists, as had been expected. The IOC executive board approved all three as official candidate cities, sending them through to the final stage of the campaign, rather than cut the decimated field any further. The cities must submit their detailed bid files to the IOC by next January. The host city will then be selected by the full IOC membership in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015. "The IOC is very happy to see three very different approaches with regard to the organization of the games," IOC President Thomas Bach said. "This gives the IOC a choice among three diverse bids with different legacy plans, with different approaches, with different budgets." Addressing concerns that the Olympics have become too expensive, Bach said the IOC will contribute about $750 million to the host city and expressed confidence that local organizers will break even or make a profit on their operational budget. He cited a projected $200 million surplus for Russian organizers from Februarys Winter Olympics in Sochi. Potential host cities, especially in Western Europe, are increasingly wary about the financial costs of holding the games. Many have been scared off by the $51 billion price tag associated with the Sochi Games, even though Russia spent much of that record sum on long-term infrastructure projects for the entire region. "We want to encourage sustainability and the feasibility of the organization of the Olympic Games," Bach said. The 2022 bid race began with six cities, but has been cut in half by the withdrawals of Stockholm; Krakow, Poland; and Lviv, Ukraine. Lviv dropped out a week ago amid the continuing political turmoil in Ukraine. Krakow pulled out in May after Polish voters rejected the bid by a 70 per cent margin. Stockholm withdrew in January after Swedish politicians refused to give the bid financial backing. In addition, potential bids from Switzerland and Germany were abandoned before the official campaign began when voters said no in referendums. Even though Oslo -- which hosted the 1952 Winter Games -- made the final cut Monday, its candidacy remains uncertain. The Norwegian government has yet to back the project and wont make a decision until the autumn, probably in November. Polls have shown that more than half the population opposes the bid. "It wasnt very surprising but is confirmation that our application is strong," Oslo Mayor Stian Berger Roesland said after the IOC announcement. "Should Parliament and the government decide (to support the bid) we have a historic opportunity to be awarded the games after so many strong cities have withdrawn." Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, is bidding to become the first city to host both the summer and winter games. The Chinese capital proposes holding alpine events 120 miles (190 kilometres) away in the city of Zhangjiakou. With Pyeongchang, South Korea, hosting the 2018 Winter Games and Tokyo the 2020 Summer Olympics, however, the IOC would normally be reluctant to send the games to East Asia for a third consecutive time. Almaty, the commercial capital of the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, hosted the 2011 Asian Games and will host the Winter University Games in 2017. The 2022 race poses a serious challenge for the IOC and Bach to find cities willing to host the games. Changes to the bidding process and efforts to reduce the cost of the games are among the key issues being addressed by the IOC as part of Bachs "Agenda 2020," his roadmap for the future of the Olympic Matt Martin Jersey . According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. Ryan Pulock Jersey . -- Derek Jeter spoke for 25 minutes, 44 seconds and answered 26 questions about his decision to retire at the end of this season. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-mathew-barzal-islanders-jersey/ . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. Denis Potvin Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. John Tavares Jersey . Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. NASHVILLE -- Geno Auriemma and UConn reached the top of womens college basketball in unprecedented fashion. After winning a record ninth national championship -- they stand alone. The Huskies reached the pinnacle in style, routing Notre Dame in the first NCAA basketball championship game featuring undefeated teams. Auriemma and his Huskies now have one more title than Pat Summitt and Tennessee for most all-time, and they did it in the Hall of Famers backyard. The Huskies had struggled recently against the Irish, but not Tuesday night, cruising to a 79-58 win. "It means weve done something no one else has ever done," Auriemma said. "Flattered and grateful and all the things that come with this kind of accomplishment. ... Im more proud of the legacy that exists and what Connecticut basketball is as opposed to the number of championships." Breanna Stewart, who was The Associated Press Player of the Year, scored 21 points to lead the Huskies (40-0) while Stefanie Dolson added 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Auriemma took out his senior centre with a minute left and the game well in hand with the pair embracing in a long hug. "We beat a great, great team," Auriemma said. "Notre Dame is a great team. For them to have the season they had and lose their starting centre and to do what they did, I cant say enough about their players, coaching staff and it took everything we have. I knew if we played great wed have a chance to win." The victory also meant that UConn is now the centre of the college basketball world with both the mens and womens teams winning the championship in the same year again. The mens team beat Kentucky in the title game Monday night. This pair of victories came a decade after the Huskies became the only Division I school to accomplish the feat. "I couldnt be prouder of what the men did last night," Auriemma said. Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw congratulated the UConn coach when they shook hands after the game. "I said something like, I thought we were playing the Miami Heat for a while you guys are just that good. What a great season, you know things like that," McGraw said. "I thought ... LeBron was the only thing they were missing." While the names change at UConn, from Rebecca Lobo to Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and now Stewart, Auriemma has been the constant, winning nine titles in only 20 seasons -- including the last two. Hes never lost in a national championship game. "Congratulations to the UConn Huskies for winning the 2014 NCAA National Chammpionship!," Summitt said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.dddddddddddd "My compliments also to coach Geno Auriemma for winning his ninth national title. He has accomplished this feat in record time." It was the fifth unbeaten season for Auriemma and UConn and the first time the Huskies went 40-0 -- matching Baylor as the only schools to accomplish that feat. The victory was also Connecticuts 46th straight dating back to last seasons NCAA tournament title run. Its the third longest streak in school history -- well short of the NCAA record 90 straight they won. The loss was Notre Dames third in the title game in the past four years. Kayla McBride finished off her stellar career with 21 points to lead the Irish, who were looking for their first championship since 2001. "Obviously we wanted to finish this season with a championship," said Irish freshman Taya Reimer, who replaced Achonwa in the starting lineup. "Right now, it is hard to think about. It hurts a lot." After proving to be no challenge for the Huskies during the first 15 years of the rivalry which began in 1995, Notre Dame had owned the series lately, winning seven of the previous nine meetings. UConn though has won the last two, eliminating Notre Dame in the Final Four last season before topping them in the championship game this year. The former Big East rivals played an entertaining first half in the highly anticipated matchup that womens basketball hoped could transcend the sport. The programs dont care for each other and the coaches added to the drama of the game with their verbal sparring on Monday. But it was Auriemma who got the last word again. Even with the loss, it was a record-setting season for the Irish. Notre Dame lost Skylar Diggins to graduation and changed conferences to the ACC. Neither mattered as they ran through their opponents, winning by an average of 25.6 points while taking both the conference regular season and tournament championships. The Irish lost senior Natalie Achonwa to a torn ACL in the regional final win over Baylor. Notre Dame wore warmup shirts with Achonwas nickname "Ace" below her No. 11. The team played inspired basketball in the Final Four win over Maryland where Notre Dame outrebounded the Terps by a record margin. The Irish couldnt muster a similar effort against UConn. The Huskies outrebounded the Irish 54-31 and held them to a season-low in points. "They got comfortable," McBride said. "They got into a rhythm, and it just went downhill from there." ' ' '