Ukrainian officials insisted their bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics will not be derailed by the anti-government protests that have gripped the country for months, AP reported. The Ukrainian city of Lviv (pronounced leh-VEEV) is one of five contenders for the 2022 Games. Bid officials held a news conference in Sochi on Sunday to promote their case but were peppered by questions about the political crisis. Acting Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Vilkul says the Olympics are "above any politics." He says Ukraine will "resolve all its political problems and issues and will come out stronger and together." The Ukrainians says they will submit their bid files to the IOC by the March 14 deadline. The IOC will select a short list of finalists in July. The other candidates are Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; and Oslo, Norway.
