The South Korean town of PyeongChang is "on track" to host a successful Winter Games in 2018 following a run of test events that were well received by athletes and officials alike, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday.
The IOC's Coordination Commission for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics wrapped up its sixth visit on Wednesday. Headed by Gunilla Lindberg, the commission toured Olympic venues and held meetings with PyeongChang organizers here in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul.
Gangneung, one of the sub-hosts of the 2018 Winter Olympics, lies east of PyeongChang and will stage the hockey and skating events during the Olympics.
At the closing press conference, Lindberg said she was pleased with PyeongChang's progress in its preparations.
"PyeongChang is on track to deliver a great Winter Games for Korea and for the world," she said. "We have more work to do. We still have two years to go. We're exchanging information and expertise, and we also have had a lot of help from international federations and cooperation from national sports federations in Korea."
Lindberg said she was especially buoyed by the success of Olympic test events held across Gangwon Province in recent weeks.
In February, Jeongseon hosted the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup in men's downhill and Super-G at the new Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Lindberg, who attended the event, gave it a full 100 points. Later in the month, World Cup races in snowboard and freestyle skiing were also held in the region.
"The first round of recent test events won praise from athletes and positive reviews from technical experts," Lindberg said. "Test events proved the good education process for (winter sports') federations."
Lindberg noted that the workload for PyeongChang will "soon increase dramatically," with 24 more test events scheduled for the next winter sports season, and she added, "We think everything will be according to the plans."
Cho Yang-ho, head of PyeongChang's organizing committee, said the host city, through recent test events, has proven that it is capable of completing its preparations on time.
"With the test events, our preparation has entered the operational phase," he said. "We still have issues to address, and we may encounter unexpected problems. But with strong support from the IOC and continued cooperation with the government, we will ensure a successful Olympics."
PyeongChang had a minor hiccup earlier this month when its Alpensia Sliding Centre, the new venue for bobsleigh, skeleton and luge, experienced problems with ice.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Luge Federation (FIL) said on March 5 that its pre-homologation inspection -- undertaken before homologation and followed by the test event -- revealed issues with the refrigeration plant. They noted current weather conditions "prevented the ability to maintain the ice."
Lindberg said she was aware of the issue but she doesn't consider it "a big problem."
"This is the whole purpose of test events; you test and improve," she said. "They will work on that and they will have a new event coming up (IBSF Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup in February 2017)." (Yonhap)