Finland hopes to co-host the 2006 Winter Olympics with Norway, now that Helsinki and Lillehammer have agreed to collaborate in a bid to stage the event.
The two nations have agreed that Nordic cross-country skiing, ski jumping, ice hockey and Nordic combined events would be staged at Lahti, close to the Finnish capital.
Skiing and other alpine competitions would be contested at Lillehammer, a former Winter Olympics venue.
The event would be billed as the Helsinki 2006 Nordic Games - a name suggested by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, on a recent visit to Scandinavia.
After a meeting in Stockholm with leaders of the Finnish and Norwegian Olympic Committees, he was said to have been 'delighted' with the collaboration proposal.
King Harald of Norway, a sailing and winter sports enthusiast, is also behind the bid, according to Peter Tallberg, a former Olympian and member of the IOC.