PyeongChang bid makes final push

Just one week before the International Olympic Committee’s selection of the host of the 2018 Winter Games, PyeongChang successfully held its final presentation on Tuesday before African officials in Togo, according to the PyeongChang 2018 Bid Committee.

During a 20-minute presentation, PyeongChang, led by bid committee chairman Cho Yang-ho, highlighted how its bid would help National Olympic Committees of Africa and nurture more winter sports athletes and fans in the region.

Speaking of PyeongChang’s slogan “New Horizons,” Cho explained that the Gangwon Province city aims to spread the Olympic movement to new parts of the world by bringing in the Winter Games for the first time here, the bid committee said.

Cho was quoted as saying: “Our vision is simple. We want to help promote the Olympic movement, and grow winter sports to new regions and connect with new audiences.”

Joining with the chairman in Togo was South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na. Speaking before the international sport officials, the Olympic gold medalist highlighted what PyeongChang will have to offer to athletes, such as training facilities, accommodations and entertainment facilities.

“It would be a great honor for PyeongChang to host the Winter Games in 2018. We are committed to creating a long-term and sustainable winter sport legacy that means more winter sport athletes and fans around the world,” Kim said.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Annecy and Munich, the two other bidders for the 2018 Winter Games, all gave their final international presentations before heading for Durban, South Africa, where the IOC members cast a secret ballot on July 6 to decide the host of 2018 Winter Olympics.

The South Korean delegation, which include Culture Minister Choung Byoung-gug and more than 100 officials and 80 supporting staff, are scheduled to leave Incheon on Friday morning for Durban. The bid committee chairman Cho and Kim will fly directly from Togo, and President Lee Myung-bak is also set to arrive in Durban on Saturday. 
 
By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)