International Olympic Committee : News

Winter comes early to London

7/25/2012 4:30:00 PM

Led by their Organising Committee Presidents, Dmitry Chernyshenko and Jin Sun Kim, respectively, the two delegations showed Olympic projects at very different stages of development, with Sochi 562 days away, while PyeongChang’s Organising Committee was founded less than a year ago.

The Sochi experience

The Sochi 2014 presentation looked at a number of different areas of progress. They showed some impressive images of the advances being made in venue preparation, with events already taking place in the mountain cluster, and the coastal venues already well on their way to completion. Sochi will host 22 sports events this coming winter in order to make sure that all venues are fully tested before the Games in 2014, where 98 medal events will be held. Sochi 2014 is also focusing on the less tangible aspects of the Games, with many volunteers signing up for the Games, a small number of whom will be in London to gain experience; a very successful Cultural Olympiad, which is expected to reach one million people this year; live sites set up in 15 cities for London 2012; an Olympic Torch Relay plan that will reach all the regions of Russia and cover nine time zones; and Russia.Sochi.Park, where the Sochi delegation will help interested visitors learn about its project.

Metamorphosis

IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy also spoke about the changes taking place on the Black Sea coast, when he said: “The metamorphosis of Sochi and its region continues. Progress is considerable and we can only be impressed by the developments made over the last 12 months. This year alone, the building sites linked to the organisation of the Games have provided work to up to 55,000 people per day! Most of the venues should be delivered on schedule, and we can say, with confidence, that the competition venues that will host the athletes participating in the Sochi Games will be extraordinary.”

One year on

Having been founded only in October last year, the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG) presented the efforts that had been made in its first year of existence in order to give the 2018 project the best base possible from which to build. Despite the short time frame, POCOG has already created the structure for the Organising Committee; seen a special act established for the Games by the government; seen work start on a high-speed train track that will link Seoul and the host city; and the first steps have been taken to start building and designing the Olympic venues.

New Horizons

Commenting on PyeongChang’s project, Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg underlined the unity behind the 2018 project: “POCOG will be able to rely on very strong support from central and regional governments, including a large number of secondees. The unity between all key stakeholders shown during the candidature has clearly materialised on the ground over the last 12 months and this is a very positive signal for PyeongChang’s Olympic project.” She concluded by congratulating POCOG for its work: “Congratulations, POCOG, on the initial steps taken over the past year - we are glad to witness the materialisation of very promising and inspiring new horizons ahead of us and ahead of you!”

IOC awards broadcast rights in United Kingdom for 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games to the BBC

7/18/2012 11:55:00 AM

The BBC has acquired the broadcast rights across all media platforms, including internet and mobile.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said: “As the host of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the birthplace of many Olympic sports, the UK is a very important nation for the Olympic Movement. The BBC is a world-renowned media organisation with which we are proud to have worked for many decades, including for the upcoming Olympic Games. We are delighted that the BBC will continue as our partner beyond London 2012, providing fantastic free coverage of the Olympic Games to the widest possible audience in the UK across a variety of media platforms.”

IOC Vice President Thomas Bach, who led the negotiations, commented: “The BBC consistently does an excellent job of broadcasting the Olympic Games, so this long-term agreement is very good news for sports fans in the UK. From a commercial perspective, we adapted our traditional broadcast rights approach in Europe for the 2014-2016 cycle and beyond, and have negotiated several key European territories directly. This announcement is significant as it completes the IOC’s direct negotiations for the 2014-2016 period in Europe.”

Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC said: "I'm delighted that the Olympic Games will continue to be broadcast exclusively on the BBC into the 2020's. It's terrific news in the days before BBC Sport begins to cover the London 2012 Games and a tribute to the enduring partnership between the BBC and the Olympic Movement".

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The 2020 Olympic Games host city vote will take place at the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2013.

The BBC is the broadcast partner for the London 2012 Olympic Games through the IOC’s agreement with the European Broadcasting Union: http://www.olympic.org/content/news/media-resources/manual-news/1999-2009/2004/07/06/ioc-confirms-european-tv-rights-contract/

During London 2012, the BBC will offer viewers the chance to watch every minute of every Olympic event live for the duration of the Games, with live HD streams across 24 digital channels. In total, the BBC will deliver around 2,500 hours of live sports coverage across its various platforms during the Games.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

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PyeongChang holds meeting one year on from election

7/6/2012 9:00:00 AM

“Since bringing the Winter Games to Korea last year, we have laid the foundations and the road map for the successful hosting of the Games in accordance with our vision of transforming Gangwon Province into a winter tourism hub in East Asia,” said POCOG President Jin Sun Kim.

POCOG's announcements included information on improved venue plans, which are expected to add to the compact nature and festive mood of the Games.

“In the past year, the PyeongChang Organizing Committee has been established, a Special Act was approved to support preparation works, the ground for the Wonju-PyeongChang-Gangneung high-speed rail link was broken, and the designing of the competition venues has begun,” added President Kim.

Since its election, and following consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Federations (IFs), POCOG made the decision to make some adjustments to the venue masterplan to improve the overall Games experience.

“The adjustments are inevitable in order to deliver the athlete- and Games-oriented concept that we had promised in the bid,” said the president.

One of the key changes was to the location of the Opening and Closing Ceremony. The site has moved 2km from the ski jumping venue in the Alpensia ski resort, to a proposed site in Hoenggae. Measuring 80,000 sq. m, the site will be transformed into a festive hub capable of seating 50,000 spectators and including a Medal Plaza, an exhibition hall, traditional food markets and other attractions that are expected to be popular with athletes and tourists.

POCOG has also launched a new website as a platform to communicate the progress it is making. Visit http://www.pyeongchang2018.org to access the new site.

PyeongChang 2018 quick off the blocks following successful bid process

3/22/2012 8:00:00 AM

Building on the momentum of a comprehensive bid process run by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organisers of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games have got off to a strong start, embarking on preparations to deliver the Republic of Korea’s first Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC Coordination Commission for PyeongChang 2018, chaired by IOC Executive Board member Gunilla Lindberg, made its first inspection visit to the winter resort town this week and praised the work already undertaken by the local organisers.

“We were pleased by the high quality of presentations that were delivered by the very capable team at PyeongChang 2018, under the leadership of President Jin Sun Kim,” said Lindberg. “They have a good grasp of what is expected of them and what they need to accomplish. They have taken full advantage of the bid process to learn from the IOC and previous Olympic hosts and this is clearly reflected in their current work.”

The Commission visited PyeongChang from 20 to 22 March, with the organisers confirming that they would continue to build upon their impressive bid vision for the Games, which has a strong focus on sport, legacy and sustainability. In addition, the structure of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (POCOG) is quickly taking shape, with the key roles already filled.

The Commission also got a first-hand look at the venues in the Alpensia and Gangneung coastal clusters. Six of the sites already exist and a clear construction schedule has been established for the others - indeed, the construction of the Olympic Village in Gangneung has already begun. All the venues are being developed with a view to providing optimal competition and training conditions for the athletes at Games time.

The strong support for the Games and the integration of the Korean authorities, at all levels of government, was underlined once again by their presence during the visit and the work carried out last year to pass the special act in support of the Games.

“It was a rewarding inaugural meeting with the Coordination Commission under the astute leadership of Mrs Lindberg,” said POCOG President Kim. “The positive appraisals and invaluable advice will serve us well in the years to come. We would like to express our gratitude to every member of the Coordination Commission and IOC administration, and to the national and local governments, as well as the Korean Olympic Committee.”

The relationship between POCOG and the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) is also working well, with the KOC giving the Commission an overview of its project to develop its team for the 2018 Games. The development of winter sport in Korea will be a key legacy of the PyeongChang project, and many International Federations have offered their support in this regard.

POCOG also continues to work on its “Dream Programme,” which brings young people from areas of the world without a winter sports tradition to PyeongChang to practise sport on snow and ice. The programme is a legacy from PyeongChang’s bid for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and the Commission was very supportive of its long-term continuation.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

Videos

YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia

Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.

Social media

For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

First Coordination Commission visit to PyeongChang

3/19/2012 10:00:00 AM

The IOC’s Coordination Commission for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games will visit the host city in the Republic of Korea for the first time this week (20-22 March). Under the chairmanship of Gunilla Lindberg, the Commission will meet with members of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG), along with representatives of the national government and local authorities.

Progress

Representing the different facets of the Olympic Movement, such as athletes, the National Olympic Committees, and the International Federations, the Coordination Commission members will hear presentations on the different elements of POCOG’s progress since its election and the PyeongChang 2018 concept. They will also have the opportunity to visit a number of the venues during their stay. Over the coming years, the Commission will help to guide POCOG, as it prepares to welcome the world’s athletes to the Republic of Korea in 2018.

The Coordination Commission

The IOC, as the guardian of the Olympic Games, assists and monitors the work of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games through the work of the Coordination Commission. The Commission visits the host city once a year until four years from the Games, when the visits become twice yearly until the Games are held. The Commission’s full meetings are supplemented by the regular visits of smaller IOC teams involving the Commission Chairman, selected members of the Commission and members of the IOC administration.

PyeongChang 2018

PyeongChang was elected as the host city for the XXIII Olympic Winter Games at the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa, on 6 July 2011. PyeongChang won the vote against the cities of Annecy (France) and Munich (Germany). PyeongChang defeated Munich and Annecy in the first round of voting, by 63 votes to 25 and 7 respectively. The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games will play host to the seven Olympic winter sports currently on the Olympic programme and will run from 9 to 25 February 2018.

"New Horizons" for 2018

7/6/2011 6:52:00 PM

The city of PyeongChang has been elected as the host city of 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Pyeongchang received 63 votes in the first round of voting, with Munich receiving 25 votes and Annecy receiving 7 votes. This will be the first time that South Korea has hosted the Olympic Winter Games and signals the opening up of “New Horizons” for the Winter Games and sport.

Lessons learnt

“Congratulations to PyeongChang. I think there is a lesson to be learnt from their achievement, and that is that patience and perseverance have prevailed and were important,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge, referring to the fact that it was PyeongChang’s third attempt at obtaining the Games. “The three bids were excellent. Each city could have organised perfect Olympic Winter Games, but ultimately one had to be chosen. I would like to congratulate our Korean friends very warmly, and I am sure we will have great success with them in our future collaboration.”

Absolute delight

“We are absolutely delighted that PyeongChang has been awarded the right to host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games,” said Chairman of the 2018 Bid Committee for PyeongChang Yang Ho Cho. “Over the course of 10 years of bidding we listened and learnt from the Olympic family. Today, our efforts and commitment to hosting the Olympic Games have been rewarded. We will ensure that our hard work will continue all the way through to 2018 to create an amazing Winter Games in Korea.”

PyeongChang 2018 – New Horizons

PyeongChang 2018’s vision for the 2018 Games is to offer the Olympic Movement and the world of winter sports New Horizons — a legacy of new growth and new potential never seen before. Its Winter Games plan is one of the most compact in Olympic history and it offers a unique stage on which the world’s best athletes can achieve superior performances. With PyeongChang’s strategic position in Asia, and its access to an emerging and fast-growing youth market, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games will no doubt expose new generations of potential athletes to the power of winter sport.

With PyeongChang now having secured its place in Olympic winter sports history, other cities that are interested in hosting a Games can learn more by attending the International Olympic Committee’s “Bidding for the Games” seminar, which will be held in Lausanne on 1 and 2 November this year.