Top organizer vows hard work in PyeongChang Games prep

By Yoo Jee-ho

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The top organizer for South Korea's first Winter Games assured international Olympic officials on Saturday that he will put in the hard work necessary for the multisport competition.

PyeongChang, located some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, is preparing for the 2018 Winter Games with Cho Yang-ho, also chairman of conglomerate Hanjin Group, at the helm.

Cho, who took over the organizing committee on July 31 last year after having earlier served as PyeongChang's bid leader, told the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday that he and his team will never be accused of slacking off.

"I feel personally responsible to keep the promises we made with the Olympic family during the bid," Cho said during his presentation at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center during the 128th IOC Session. "You have my assurance that I will continue to work hard on this end."

Cho discussed PyeongChang's venue construction and its preparations for test events starting next year, perhaps the two biggest challenges facing the host city.

Cho said the construction of facilities, including the Jeongseon Alpine Centre for downhill and super-G events and the Alpensia Sliding Centre for bobsleigh, skeleton and luge, are on schedule.

"As we promised during the bid, PyeongChang 2018 will be athlete-focused and very compact, with everything within a 30-minute radius," Cho added.

PyeongChang's first test events will take place in February next year. According to the International Ski Federation (FIS) website, World Cup downhill and super-G events are scheduled for Feb. 4 to 7 in Jeongseon, near PyeongChang. Bokwang, another satellite town of PyeongChang, will host the Snowboard World Cups, first in slopestyle from Feb. 19 to 21, and then in snowboard cross on Feb. 26 and 27.

Cho added that the alpine event for the female athletes will take place in March 2017. The region will also host one leg of the International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Cup in December 2016 and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships in April 2017.

On the marketing front, Cho also reported progress has been made.

"Corporations are actively supporting PyeongChang 2018, and we have gained some traction in sponsorship deals," he said. "So far, we've managed to secure over US$360 million, or 49 percent of our target," he said. "We're confident of securing an additional $200 million during the second half of this year. We're grateful that our sponsors have helped engage the public and build excitement for the games through advertisements and promotional campaigns."

Two months ago, the IOC added a handful of new events to PyeongChang 2018, such as mixed doubles in curling, mass start for men and women in speed skating, and a team event in alpine skiing, and removed the men's and women's parallel slalom in snowboard. After the changes, there will be more gold medals at stake in PyeongChang, with 102, than any of the previous Winter Olympics.

Cho said PyeongChang will also host more female athletes than any previous Winter Olympics.

Presenting to the IOC members after Cho, Gunilla Lindberg, head of the IOC's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang, also noted the host city's progress under Cho's watch.

"I reported one year ago about delays and not-so-efficient progress," Lindberg said. "But the last year has really been a very good year. Things are moving on very quickly. The quality of the work has been praised by our experts and international federations who have traveled frequently to Korea over the last year."

Lindberg said PyeongChang is now entering "the more operational part" of its preparations, and the transition will be marked by the upcoming test events.

"These events will be the key learning opportunities for the organizing committee and its delivery partners," she said. "It will also be the first opportunity to test venues in the games-like circumstances. We all know, in an Olympic project, that there's never any time to lose. We'll continue to work very closely to deliver the memorable games in 2018."

Lindberg visited PyeongChang last week for the IOC's fifth project review, and her Coordination Commission will be in PyeongChang from Sept. 22 to 24 for its fifth trip.

Following the presentations, Gian-Franco Kasper, president of FIS, chimed in with an endorsement of PyeongChang.

"We're extremely confident and optimistic that PyeongChang will be able to do it on time," Kasper said in reference to the host's construction work. "The IOC should all be optimistic that our Korean friends will really do a great job at the end."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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