China faces tougher sell in Winter Olympics bid

A sign is placed on a table for members of the Beijing 2022 delegation at the start of the Executive Board meeting at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne July 7, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

(Reuters) - Beijing promised a "frugal" Winter Olympics and to harness the event to clean up the capital's notorious air pollution if selected as host of the 2022 Games, but the pledges were greeted with scepticism on Chinese social media.

Along with Oslo and Almaty, Beijing was confirmed as an official candidate for 2022 on Monday, raising a chance of becoming the first city to hold both the summer and winter Olympics.