Pyeongchang Enthused About Olympics

The on-site evaluation of Pyeongchang for the 2014 Winter Olympics ended on a high note in Gangwon Province yesterday. The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) 16 delegates left Seoul for Sochi to evaluate the Russian city after having a press conference on February 17.

In the conference, Chiharu Igaya, the International Olympic Committee’s vice president and leader of the evaluation team, said what exactly the Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee (POBICO) had expected in its self-evaluation.

He said, “Pyeongchang’s first strong point is that the venues are close to each other, making travel time short. Another point is the strong government backing the city has. The files and the presentations submitted were of very high quality. Also, the public’s enthusiasm is tremendous.”

Pyeongchang, however, has only passed the first step on the path to the final decision on the venue for the Olympics at the IOC session in Guatemala on July 5. The on-site evaluation, which will be submitted to IOC committee members on June 4, will not have a direct influence on the result of the vote the members will cast.

Yoon Kang-ro, secretary-general of the international relationship of POBICO, stressed, “The task ahead of us now is to persuade IOC committee members to vote for us by using sports diplomacy.”

kimsk@donga.com