PyeongChang promotes 2018 Winter Games in Rio
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Lee Hee-beom, second from right, president of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games (POCOG) speaks during the International Olympic Committee meeting in Rio, Brazil, Monday (local time). / Courtesy of POCOG
By Choi Ha-young
Lee Hee-beom, president of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games (POCOG), arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Monday (local time), to meet the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials and promote Korea’s first-ever Winter Games.
During the meeting with the IOC officials, the six POCOG officials, including Lee, Executive Vice President of International Relations Kim Jae-youl and Secretary General Yeo Hyung-koo, discussed future use of Olympic facilities and human resources following the PyeongChang Games.
POCOG said it is scheduled to report on the ongoing preparations for the next Winter Olympics during the IOC’s 129th session Wednesday and it will have meetings with reporters from all around the world to promote the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The POCOG added it will run on-site promotions at a promotion booth on the iconic Copacabana Beach in the Brazilian city starting Sunday. There, visitors can experience Korean culture and learn about the country and the upcoming Winter Games.
Besides promoting the PyeongChang Games, POCOG President Lee said another duty there is to become an alternative in the absence of his country’s IOC members.
The Korean IOC members are absent due to personal reasons. Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee has been hospitalized for over two years and former taekwondo medalist Moon Dae-sung was recently suspended over plagiarism in his doctoral thesis.
“It’s a shame that we don’t have a Korean IOC member in Rio, where they should be promoting the PyeongChang Winter Olympics,” Lee said in an interview with Yonhap, Monday. “It puts that much more pressure on POCOG to engage in sports diplomacy without those who can communicate closely with the IOC.”
On Saturday, Lee will meet with chief organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to share experiences and expertise among the three neighboring countries’ organizing committees.
“We will not only promote the event here, but also strengthen the cooperation with China’s and Japan’s organizing committees, as well as international sports committee,” Lee said in a statement released on Monday.