PyeongChang to co-host meeting of int'l sports journalists ahead of Winter Olympics

By a2016032

Published : May 9, 2017 - 09:35 Updated : May 9, 2017 - 09:35

PyeongChang, the South Korean home of the 2018 Winter Olympics, will co-host an annual meeting of international sports journalists this week, a chance to showcase its readiness to stage the first Winter Games in the country.

The 80th Congress of the International Sports Press Association will come to Seoul and PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of the capital in Gangwon Province, for a five-day visit starting Wednesday.

Soohorang (left) and Bandabi, the official mascots of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, stand before Gangneung City Hall in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on April 25, 2017. Gangneung will host ice events during the Olympic Games. (Yonhap)

AIPS said more than 250 delegates and guests will hold discussions and debate on the state of sports journalism and issues plaguing international sports, including freedom of the press, corruption and doping.

This will be the third AIPS Congress in South Korea, after 1987 and 2011. Seoul was the host for both.

This year's Congress will open on Wednesday in Seoul with meetings and presentations. The participants will move to PyeongChang Thursday afternoon for more presentations and a welcome dinner hosted by Gangwon Province.

On Friday, the AIPS will hold elections for its president, vice president and members of its Executive Committee. The delegates will then take a tour of Olympic venues in PyeongChang before the closing ceremony in the evening. (Yonhap)