2022 Winter Olympics bid: we can make snow, says Beijing; we have real snow, says Almaty
Chinese capital seen as favourite to win vote on Friday to secure rights to sporting extravaganza
The world's most populous nation against a new kid on the block. A global capital that hosted an Olympics just a few years ago against a city which many people may not be able to find on a map.
A Chinese region with few big mountains and little natural snow against a former Soviet winter sports resort surrounded by towering peaks and plenty of real snow.
Such is the study in contrasts between the two contenders for the 2022 Winter Games: Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan.
There is no question the Chinese are still the favourites. It is an open race, but in principle most people believe the Chinese are automatically the favourites
The International Olympic Committee will be faced with two starkly different choices when it selects the host city on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, wrapping up a race that began with six candidates but wound up with just two after a series of withdrawals.
While Beijing is seen as the big favourite, Almaty impressed IOC members at a presentation in Switzerland in June and the contest is now considered closer than many had expected.
"A lot of the members were pretty agreeably surprised to see there were now two candidates in the race," Canadian member Dick Pound said.
Beijing remains the city to beat - largely because of China's geopolitical might.