POSTED: January 4th 2012
NewsUpdate
PyeongChang 2018 charging forward with new budget, Special Act and high speed train plans
LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications
PYEONGCHANG/SEOUL: The organizing committee for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games (POCOG) has issued a New Year statement to update on the progress of preparations as we draw close to the six year out timeframe.
The new organizing committee’s offices are now set up and open for business and on the top of the list is the approval by the National Assembly of the budget for the Games.
At the end of last year, the National Assembly rubber stamped the budget which foresees KRW 25.4 billion Won to be allocated for the designs of six new venues and KRW 210 billion Won as agreed in the bid plan to build high-speed rail tracks linking Wonju and the cities of PyeongChang and Gangneung.
POCOG emphasizes that the government is behind the plans for the new high speed railway and that organizers are on direction to attain their bid objectives as laid out in the host city contract.
The high speed railway will expedite access time to the Olympic areas via links connecting Incheon International Airport, Yongsan (within Seoul), Deokso and Wonju with a new operating system .
A new 113km high-speed track will connect Wonju and Gangneung allowing for travelling speeds at up to 250km per hour that will ensure fast and efficient transportation to the Olympic coastal cluster.
Special Act
On December 30th, the National Assembly passed the 'Special Act to Support the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games' which will legally protect the intellectual properties of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in host nation Korea.
Games Foundation Plan
The OCOG has also established a team of experts both domestically and abroad to work on the Games Foundation Plan (GFP) that will lay out the visions and strategies in the early formative years. The OCOG also is working to complete the base operational plan and to get marketing agreements set up within 2012.
Downhill ski venue
There have been requests by environmental civil groups to transfer the location of the downhill ski venue from Joongbong to other alternative locations.
After in-depth studies, POCOG concluded that alternative locations did not meet the requirements of the International Ski Federation (FIS), the international federation in charge of overseeing the downhill skiing events.
POCOG also stressed that they will be working closely with the Ministry of Environment, the Korea Forest Service, the Gangwon Province and other civil groups to maintain their high level of green dedication for the Games.
Keywords · PyeongChang 2018 · winter Games · POCOG · National Assembly
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