06/07/2012
One year on from the announcement that it had won the opportunity to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the PyeongChang Organising Committee (POCOG) has released details of its progress so far.
“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.
