PyeongChang Warming Up for 2018 Winter Olympics

The View of Yongpyong Resort in PyeongChang

Series of World Championships Sign of Readiness for Winter Games

By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter

PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, was unsuccessful twice in its bidding for hosting the Winter Olymics. It failed to win the right by three and four votes to Vancouver, Canada, and Sochi, Russia.

But through the failed campaigns, it has gathered a vast wealth of know-how on how to successfully host global winter sports events, and has installed new facilities to host a series of world championships.

PyeongChang is now boasting that it is in a position to be ``the best candidate" for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

``Gangwon Province has hosted the world championships of snowboarding and biathlon this year, and the World Women's Curling Championship and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing World Championships are next,'' Gangwon Governor Kim Jin-sun told The Korea Times.

Hoengseong, PyeongChang's neighboring city, held the International Ski Federation's (FIS) snowboarding contest from Jan. 14 to 24, while PyeongChang is home to the nine-day biathlon championships, organized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU). It will continue through Feb. 22.

The curling and alpine ski competitions are to be held in Gangneung and Jeongseon, PyeongChang's satellite cities, from March 21 to 29 and Feb. 18 to March 1, respectively.

``By organizing those events, PyeongChang and Gangwon Province can amply demonstrate to the world that they are capable of organizing World Championships-level events, and eventually, the Winter Olympics," Kim said.

``It will hopefully play an important role in labeling PyeongChang and Gangwon Province as the winter sports Mecca of Asia.''

After suffering heartbreaking upsets in past campaigns, the city of 45,000 people has taken a quick but dashing step.

It officially announced its third bid for the Winter Games two months after dropping out on its second attempt, in September 2007, although the government and the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) have yet to give a final nod to the plan.

The governor expects to win approval next month.

In addition, PyeongChang has ambitiously brought high-profile competitions to Korea, a country unfamiliar with winter sports other than short-track speed skating and, recently, figure skating.

The biennial Snowboard World Championships, established in 1996, were held in the Asian continent for the first time, and PyeongChang claimed the honor in organizing the 51-year-old Biathlon World Championships for the first time outside of Europe, which is expected to help its bid for the Winter Olympics.

The Alpine Skiing World Championships will also make its first visit to Asia.

Unlike PyeongChang's hit-and-run progress, few other candidates for the 2018 Games have emerged.

``Other than Munich, Germany and a French city (Grenoble, Nice, or Annecy), no city has made it clear that it would join the race,'' the three-term governor Kim said.

China has been reported to be mulling a bid to host the Games in the northern city of Harbin.

Harbin is the venue for the 2009 Winter Universiade, scheduled from Feb. 18 to 28, and China is expected to see the event as a test of its ability to hold the Winter Games.

``Thanks to the bid experience, we know what the IOC wants. We will try our best to upgrade the infrastructure that Gangwon Province has,'' he said.

Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) must submit a proposal to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by October 2009 and it will narrow down the number to three or four official candidates.

The host city will then be selected at an IOC General Assembly slated for July 2011 in Durban, South Africa.

Kim, who served as the executive chairman in PyeongChang's previous two bids, believes that it is a favorite.

``Although there is no saying with confidence that PyeongChang can win the race, its readiness, hard work and abilities will build up a sound reputation,'' the 62-year-old said.

``For instance, several officials at international sports bodies, who visited the snowboard championships last month, praised the state-of-the-art facilities, and they said `There are enough perfect facilities to host the Winter Olympic Games right now.'

``And despite those flops, PyeongChang has kept promises to the IOC that it would improve and expand transportation and facilities, which have nearly approached completion.''

With Vancouver and Sochi set to host the upcoming two Olympics, PyeongChang will be an appealing candidate for bringing the winter sports festival back to Asia for the first time since Nagano, Japan, was home to the contest in 1998.

``There is no formal continental rotation in picking the site for the Winter Olympics,'' Kim said.

``But through its two bids, PyeongChang has upgraded its name value and it is the right time for the Asian continent to take the chance.

``PyeongChang has much higher expectations now than before.''

As if agreeing with Kim's prediction, elements of the international media have given a good grade to PyeongChang.

The Boston Globe reported on Jan. 27 that the 2018 Winter Games may well end up in Asia, which by then will have gone two decades without hosting the event, and the most likely host is PyeongChang. It also said that the resort is the host for three world championships this year.

What will work in PyeongChang's favor is that it was runner-up to 2010 host Vancouver and Sochi, and that no Asian city has been chosen since 1998.

``PyeongChang's hosting the Winter Olympics will contribute to the development of winter sports in Asia,'' Kim concluded.

ksw@koreatimes.co.kr