Did P`chang do enough to land 2018 Winter Olympics?

Pyeongchang County in Gangwon Province, which is bidding to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, has won high praise from International Olympic Committee inspectors for receiving the strong support of the Korean government and Gangwon residents.

Given the county’s two previous failed bids, however, it is premature to be overly optimistic. Pyeongchang received a good evaluation in its inspection for the 2014 event but lost to Sochi, Russia. Against this backdrop, the Pyeongchang bidding committee will use a strategy to win support from all committee members who hold votes.

○ Inspection team praises gov’t and residents’ support

After their four-day inspection, the inspectors said Pyeongchang was better prepared to host a Winter Olympics and gave high scores to new compact facilities and plans for convenient transportation.

Gunilla Lindberg, chairwoman of the IOC Evaluation Commission, said Saturday that her commission has seen progress in Pyeongchang’s efforts over the last four years in completing facilities, including a ski jumping resort. She said she has also seen strong support from the Korean government and Gangwon residents.

Gilbert Felli, executive director of the IOC Olympic Games, spoke highly of Korea’s improved competitiveness in winter sports, noting the country’s outstanding performance at last year’s Vancouver Winter Games.

○ Support from voters

Members of the Pyeongchang bid urged against premature optimism, however. “A successful inspection doesn`t always lead to votes,” said Kim Jin-sun, special envoy for the Pyeongchang bid and former Gangwon governor who led the bids for the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

“We can`t say at this point whether we`re optimistic or pessimistic,” said Park Yong-sung, chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee.

The IOC has 111 members but only 103 will vote for the venue of the 2018 event. Six members belong to the three countries whose cities submitted bids for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the remaining two are IOC President Jacques Rogge and Swiss executive board member Denis Oswald.

Pyeongchang needs more than 53 votes in the first round of voting on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

Korean athletes will help the Pyeongchang bid, including Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na and American Toby Dawson, an ethnic Korean who won the bronze medal in the freestyle skiing moguls at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. Kim will take part in international sporting events to promote Pyeongchang’s bid ahead of the committee’s first round of voting.

beetlez@donga.com