POSTED: August 17th 2010
NewsUpdate
PyeongChang 2018: Gangwon Bike Race brings out 15,000 riders to back bid
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
TAMPA/PYEONGCHANG, Aug 16: The annual Gangwon Bike Race brought out 15,000 cyclists to support the winter Games bid. Cyclists during the two hour race carried PyeongChang 2018 flags on their bikes.
Yang Ho Cho, bid chair of the PyeongChang 2018 bid and chair of Korean Air, said: “The entire nation, as well as people of Gangwon, has shown passionate and unwavering support for many years to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to PyeongChang.
"Some 91pc of Korea and 93pc of the PyeongChang public back our bid, and we feel that this passionate support is vital to help us succeed in winning the right to host the Winter Games in 2018.”
The 10 km biking marathon was held across 18 cities and counties in the Gangwon Province on Sunday and held under the theme of the PyeongChang Bid. The race was also held on Korean National Liberation Day marking the 65th anniversary of the liberation from Japan.
Nak Chun Sung, President of the Gangwon Bicycle Riders Association, said: “We are delighted to celebrate Liberation Day this year by holding the Gangwon Bike Race and supporting the PyeongChang 2018 bid. It is great to see so many race participants show their enthusiasm for hosting Winter Games here in PyeongChang.”
A PyeongChang Walkathon was also held over the weekend to support the Autism Society of Korea (ASK). This event had the double role of promoting awareness about autism and supporting the bid. Some 50 volunteers and autistic children undertook the 72.5 km walkathon from Wonju to PyeongChang.
Geum Suk Sohn, ASK Gangwon's branch director, said: “It is great to see so many people of all ages take part and complete this walkathon to raise awareness of autism. Their dedication and commitment also highlights the desire of the people of Gangwon to bring the Winter Games to PyeongChang.”
The PyeongChang 2018 bid is running against Annecy and Munich to host the Olympic winter Games. The final decision will be voted at the IOC session in Durban, South Africa next July.
Keywords · PyeongChang 2018 · Gangwon 2010 Bike Race · Yang Ho Cho · Nak Chun Sung · Gangwon Bicycle Riders Association ·
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