GENEVA, Oct. 18 -- The Swiss government pledged Wednesday to support the bid by the southwestern city of Sion to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Sion's bid came after voters in Graubunden in eastern Switzerland in February rejected its candidacy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, Swiss news agency ATS reported.

The Swiss cabinet said it wants to back Sion's bid for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 with support of up to a billion Swiss francs (1.018 billion U.S. dollars).

Sion is a small city with an iconic castle sitting at the feet of some of the highest mountains in the Alps.

ATS quoted cabinet member Guy Parmelin as saying that organizing the Olympic Games represents a great opportunity for sport, economy and society.

In a press release, the seven-member Swiss cabinet said it gave its approval on condition that the games will rely as much as possible on existing infrastructure, and will respect principles of sustainable development.

The decentralized nature of the proposal for Sion scattering the games across the Swiss cantons of Valais, Vaud, Bern and Fribourg, was a factor that gained it support, said the cabinet.

The news will boost local organizers, as well as the Lausanne-based International Olympic Committee, which has struggled in recent years to attract bids as cities grow wary of hosting such large-scale events, commented Swissinfo, the online outlet of Switzerland's national broadcaster.