Norway's capital Oslo will team up with Lillehammer to bid jointly to be the country's candidate to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, city officials said.

The Norwegian towns of Trondheim and Tromsoe also hope to hold the Games.

Norway, one of the most successful Winter Olympic nations, held the Games in Lillehammer in 1994 and in Oslo in 1952.

The closing date for cities to apply to be the Norwegian candidate was Feb. 19, 2007, Magnus Sverdrup at the Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sports told Reuters. The chosen candidate would be announced by the end of March.

Turin hosted this year's Winter Games and Vancouver will stage the event in 2010. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will choose the site of the 2014 Games next July.

¤ China is using a reality TV show to select coxes for the national men's and women's rowing eights at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a spokesman for the programme's production company said. Taihe Media Investment spokesman Nathaniel Jones said applicants needed no rowing experience but were required to be between 18-60 years of age and healthy. The format of the show allows viewers to vote their favourite contestants into later rounds, but the final cuts would ultimately be decided by national coaches and team members.