HARBIN, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- Northern city Harbin failed to get the green light to represent China to bid for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, a local sport official revealed on Wednesday.

    Heilongjiang province, whose capital city is Harbin, had received a formal refusal from the country's sport governing body State General Administration of Sport to bid for the 2018 Winter Games, a Harbin sport bureau official told Xinhua.

    All the candidate cities must submit their bids to the International Olympic Committee before the Oct. 15 deadline but the administration suggested Heilongjiang local government in a written document that Harbin not join the bid, the official said.

    "They gave many reasons including the overwhelming advantages of other candidate cities and Harbin's not-so-good infrastructure," said the official who declined to be named.

    Germany's Munich, South Korean resort city Pyeongchang and French city Annecy have submitted their bids.

    Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics and would like to be the first city to host both the summer and winter Games.

    Pyeongchang will bid for the third time after narrowly losing twice in bidding for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

    The IOC will announce the winner in 2011.