PyeongChang defies doubts on test events

By Nam Hyun-woo

The organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games said Tuesday there will be no changes in next year's test event schedules, in response to recent remarks from the International Ski Federation (FIS) doubting the feasibility of holding ski and snowboard in venues under construction.

In a Reuters interview Monday, FIS President Gian Franco-Kasper said that it is “almost impossible" for the test events for the Games to take place next year as planned. The longtime FIS president is an influential International Olympic Committee member.

The FIS has tentatively set men's Skiing World Cup to be held at the Jeongseon center on Feb. 6, 2016. A snowboard halfpipe and parallel slalom World Cup is also scheduled in the same month.

“The new places make test events almost impossible, next year, particularly the alpine,” Kasper said. “They (PyeongChang organizers) have extreme delays and still a lot of unanswered questions, problems which are not solved. So we all have serious doubts,” he said, adding “We had all the promises but nothing happens.”

For the alpine ski and snowboard events, PyeongChang organizers and Gangwon Province have been building Jeongseon Alpine Center and renovating Bokwang Snow Park, respectively.

“We will come up with plans to hold test events without any problems until the end of this month and deliver them to the FIS,” said an official with a committee organizing the Games.