LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Left with little choice after the withdrawal of three contenders, the International Olympic Committee retained the three remaining cities Monday in the troubled race for the 2022 Winter Games. Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing, and Oslo made the list of finalists, as had been expected. The IOC executive board approved all three as official candidate cities, sending them through to the final stage of the campaign, rather than cut the decimated field any further. The cities must submit their detailed bid files to the IOC by next January. The host city will then be selected by the full IOC membership in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015. "The IOC is very happy to see three very different approaches with regard to the organization of the games," IOC President Thomas Bach said. "This gives the IOC a choice among three diverse bids with different legacy plans, with different approaches, with different budgets." Addressing concerns that the Olympics have become too expensive, Bach said the IOC will contribute about $750 million to the host city and expressed confidence that local organizers will break even or make a profit on their operational budget. He cited a projected $200 million surplus for Russian organizers from Februarys Winter Olympics in Sochi. Potential host cities, especially in Western Europe, are increasingly wary about the financial costs of holding the games. Many have been scared off by the $51 billion price tag associated with the Sochi Games, even though Russia spent much of that record sum on long-term infrastructure projects for the entire region. "We want to encourage sustainability and the feasibility of the organization of the Olympic Games," Bach said. The 2022 bid race began with six cities, but has been cut in half by the withdrawals of Stockholm; Krakow, Poland; and Lviv, Ukraine. Lviv dropped out a week ago amid the continuing political turmoil in Ukraine. Krakow pulled out in May after Polish voters rejected the bid by a 70 per cent margin. Stockholm withdrew in January after Swedish politicians refused to give the bid financial backing. In addition, potential bids from Switzerland and Germany were abandoned before the official campaign began when voters said no in referendums. Even though Oslo -- which hosted the 1952 Winter Games -- made the final cut Monday, its candidacy remains uncertain. The Norwegian government has yet to back the project and wont make a decision until the autumn, probably in November. Polls have shown that more than half the population opposes the bid. "It wasnt very surprising but is confirmation that our application is strong," Oslo Mayor Stian Berger Roesland said after the IOC announcement. "Should Parliament and the government decide (to support the bid) we have a historic opportunity to be awarded the games after so many strong cities have withdrawn." Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, is bidding to become the first city to host both the summer and winter games. The Chinese capital proposes holding alpine events 120 miles (190 kilometres) away in the city of Zhangjiakou. With Pyeongchang, South Korea, hosting the 2018 Winter Games and Tokyo the 2020 Summer Olympics, however, the IOC would normally be reluctant to send the games to East Asia for a third consecutive time. Almaty, the commercial capital of the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, hosted the 2011 Asian Games and will host the Winter University Games in 2017. The 2022 race poses a serious challenge for the IOC and Bach to find cities willing to host the games. Changes to the bidding process and efforts to reduce the cost of the games are among the key issues being addressed by the IOC as part of Bachs "Agenda 2020," his roadmap for the future of the Olympic Boston Celtics Store . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday. Boston Celtics Gear . The Argentine midfielder made the announcement himself on Twitter on Tuesday and posted a picture of his swollen left foot. His message said he would be out "at least three weeks. https://www.cheapceltics.com/. Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Boston Celtics Shirts .40 metres at the Drake Relays. Drouin, from Corunna, Ont., bested his own record of 2.38 metres set in Aug. Fake Celtics Jerseys . "I have had no discussions with Chad Johnson or his representation," Popp said Friday in an email. However, he appeared to confirm a report on Twitter from TSN this week that Johnson was on Montreals negotiation list.NEW YORK, N.Y. - They have hung high above the Barclays Center plaza this season, oversized pictures of the faces of the Brooklyn Nets biggest stars. On the court, those players are looking pretty small. Deron Williams couldnt score in the last game. Kevin Garnett has barely scored at all. And the Miami Heat keep proving that when it comes to constructing a super team, still nobody has done it better. Up 2-0 even without needing huge efforts from LeBron James, the Heat try to push the Nets to the brink of elimination when the series shifts to Brooklyn on Saturday night. "We did what we were supposed to do, protecting home court," Miamis Dwyane Wade. "Now it gets interesting. Now were trying to get one in their building. This is when the playoffs get fun." Miami tied a franchise record with its eighth straight playoff victory by pulling away to win 94-82 in Game 2 on Thursday night. The Nets felt better about their effort after getting blown out in the opener, but there was still plenty of cause for alarm. Williams, the former All-Star who teammates insist is their most important player, shot 0 for 9 in the worst playoff game of his career. Garnett, who is 10 days shy of his 38th birthday, missed a couple of point-blank attempts while going 2 for 8, but that was an improvement from his scoreless Game 1. But as they head home, the Nets still believe they can again become the team that beat the Heat all four times during the regular season. "We have a lot of confidence in ourselves," Garnett said. "We just have to go home and defend our home court." James, averaging just 22 points, has won at least one road game in every playoff series since he and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010. A victory in Brooklyn would make it 14 straight series, giving the Heat the longest streak in NBA history. Brooklyn tried to build a threat to the two-time defending champions last summer by bringing in Garnett and Paul Pierce to join All-Star centre Brook Lopez and the Williams-Joe Johnson backcourt that wass already in place.dddddddddddd They believed their aging roster had a two-year window, but the first could be slammed shut by Monday. Lopez was long ago lost to a broken foot, and while the Nets flourished with a smaller lineup, theyre now facing a team that has won two straight titles playing small-ball. So the Nets need everyone to play well, but so far that looks unlikely. Garnett had 12 rebounds and defended well in Game 2, but shouldve had at least two more baskets. Williams, who has battled ankle problems and been in decline since signing a $98.5 million contract in 2012, passed and rebounded fine, but has to give the Nets points, too. "We look for him to bounce back in Game 3," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. Even with Williams woes, the Nets were within two points midway through the fourth quarter. The Heat couldnt shake them until getting three straight offensive rebounds during a 100-second possession in the closing minutes, and are bracing for another tight one Saturday. "This is a very possession-oriented series. Not a lot of turnovers," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Possessions really, really matter and those extra ones can really be backbreakers." No NBA team has won a series after falling behind 3-0, so it doesnt take all that considerable post-season experience the Nets roster possesses to realize Brooklyn has to win the next game. "We need a win. Its a must-win," Williams said. "We cant afford to go down 3-0. We need to get these at home starting with the one on Saturday." The Nets are only 1-10 against the Heat in the post-season, but they also hadnt defeated Miami in the regular season for 4 1/2 years before ending that 13-game skid with a victory on Nov. 1. That was in their home opener and cemented their belief that they could topple the champs in the spring. They insist that confidence is still there. "Our mindset is positive," reserve Mirza Teletovic said. "We know we can beat this team at home." AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report. ' ' '