POSTED: April 12th 2011
NewsUpdate
PyeongChang 2018 gets significant boost from Seoul and Gyeonggi provincial support
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
TAMPA/SEOUL, Apr 12: The city of Seoul and the provincial government of Gyeonggi have both signed agreements with Gangwon Province to reinforce their backing of the PyeongChang 2018 bid.
Seoul city support
Gangwon Province and Seoul agreed to strengthen sports exchanges through various programs, including winter sports athletes nurturing programs, youth sports camps and the Dream Program for the purpose of expanding the base of winter sports in Korea.
The "Agreement on Cooperation for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Bid" was signed April 7th. This agreement was formed as a cooperative measure between the two parties for the Winter Olympic Games and other major issues.
If PyeongChang is awarded the right to host the 2018 Olympics, Seoul will fully support PyeongChang to be designated as an Olympic Zone and will promote Winter Olympic facilities, including the Alpensia Resort, by encouraging Seoul citizens as well as government staff to utilize them.
Furthermore, Seoul agreed to expand the cooperation by helping to create various culture and art performances, recruiting volunteers and developing joint tourism products during the Games.
Gangwon Province and the City of Seoul have already collaborated for mutual benefits through various ways such as regional products sales and disaster restoration projects since 2007.
The acting Governor of Gangwon Province Ki-Chang Kang said “Just as we say that we can achieve what we aspire to with a strong will and hard work, we hope that this cooperation between Seoul and our province will lead to a successful bid also.”
According to the city's website, Seoul is also planning to run television advertising via a number of major international TV channels, including CNN and Discovery Channel. They will also provide related information via the city’s international promotional channels, including foreign language websites (in four languages), YouTube, Facebook, and Flicker.
The city also plans to send an official letter to 23 foreign cities with which PyeongChang has a sisterhood relationship, including Paris, Rome, Washington DC and Sau Paulo, to urge them to strongly support Gangwon’s bid to hold the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Seoul is also stepping up efforts to create a public boom through its domestic public relations activities and with advertising with subtitles.
Additionally, Seoul City will seek to generate momentum for public support of the bid by airing public service announcements on screens across the city, encouraging the participation of Seoul City Goodwill Ambassadors in the campaign, and using its social media services, including Twitter and Me2day to bring together citizens’ wishes to host the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
In order to promote Gangwon to Seoulites and foreign tourists visiting Seoul and raise awareness of the province, the city also plans to develop “tourism products interlinking tours to Seoul and Gangwon.”
Gyeonggi Province reinforcement
The Gyeonggi province has stepped in to support national and international promotion and construction of the infrastructure required to host the 2018 Games. The accord was signed March 28th at the Alpensia stadium.
Gyeonggi is Gangwon’s neighbor to the west and is the most populated province in Korea and also includes the national capital of Seoul in the heart of its region. Incheon, Korea’s fourth largest city, is also located there.
This makes the fourth agreement that has been inked between Gyeonggi and Gangwon following those signed in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Notable points in the agreement include improving policies in border areas, managing Han River water quality, and expanding East-West transportation systems. The accord has also triggered development in northern parts of Gyeonggi Province and the closer Gangwon Province region with its amendment of the Protection of Military Installations Act on December 21, 2007.
The latest agreement involves both provinces joining forces for the upcoming Winter Olympics in 2018. They will cooperate in the execution of the actual event, promoting the event to the Korean citizens, and carrying out international promotion together.
Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province have agreed to complete the 2nd Yeongdong Expressway, the Yeoju-Wonju Double Track Railway, and the Wonju-Gangneung Double Track Railway earlier than scheduled in a drive to establish stronger transportation infrastructure in the greater PyeongChang area.
Gyeonggi Province has also agreed to support the designation of a specialized zone dedicated to the Olympics in the event of PyeongChang's selection as host.
They have also agreed to promote the Alpensia Resort, the candidate venue for the Olympics, to attract more local visitors to the resort.
Winter sports will be encouraged among teenagers through winter sports programs, camps for teenagers, and sports-related exchanges. The province will also give its full support to cultural performances as well as preparing for unexpected emergencies, implementing safety measures, and volunteering during the Olympics.
Also they have agreed to make amendments to border area policies, a pending issue since 2009. The two provinces will also cooperate in promoting Gyeongchun Line train-related tourist packages.
Gyeonggi Province Governor Moon-soo Kim remarked, "I hope that this agreement will help Gangwon Province achieve its ambitious and inspiring goal.
"PyeongChang and two other cities are competing to host the Winter Olympics in 2018, but we have the unconditional support of our people. I am sure fortune will favor PyeongChang this July 6 when the results are announced in Durban, South Africa."
Keywords · PyeongChang 2018 · Seoul · Gyeonggi · Gangwon
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