POSTED: May 17th 2010
NewsUpdate
Korea studies extra efforts to back PyeongChang's bid to stage 2018 Winter Games
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications
PYEONGCHANG, May 17: The Korean government is considering extra backing for PyeongChang's bid to win hosting rights to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Prime Minister Un-Chan Chung hosted a meeting of the Government Support Committee which is considering whether to invest extra efforts which would assist in speeding up the infrastructural developments that would be needed.
The committee comprises a senior decision-maker from each of the main agencies of the government which has declared its full support for PyeongChang. Apart from the relevant government ministers, the meeting was attended by bid co-chairmen Yang-Ho Cho and Jin-Sun Kim as well as by the president of Korean Olympic Committee, Yong-Sung Park.
The Prime Minister is focusing on the impact of hosting the winter Olympics in South Korea and the eventual boom that it would mean for Asian winter sports in general. The winter sports market in Asia is growing and targeted towards youth so Korea aims to capitalise through the development of winter sports in the region.
Top priorities
The co-chairs updated the committee on the progress of the bid. Kim said: “The government has made our 2018 bid one of its top priorities. We are delighted that all levels of government have offered us their absolute commitment and support.”
One project under consideration is accelerating work on the express railroad linking Wonju and the seaside area of Gangneung. This would facilitate faster access to the skating event locations.
The group also discussed upgrading the already existing access roads to other Olympic venues to ensure even faster and more seamless transportation. The venue clusters are already only half an hour’s driving distance maximum between one to the other.
Cho said: “For a long time it has been our nation’s dream to host the Winter Games in PyeongChang. We will make every effort to bring good news to the Korean people when the decision is announced in July next year.”
PyeongChang's rivals to win hosting rights are Annecy (France) and Munich.
Keywords · PyeongChang 2018 · Un-Chan Chung · Yang-Ho Cho · Jin-Sun Kim · Yong-Sung Park
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