Pyeongchang vows to make third bid for 2018 Winter Olympics

By Kim Boram
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's eastern resort of
Pyeongchang resumed its bid to host the Winter Olympics, despite two previous
failures, a provincial official said Friday.
Pyeongchang, a mountainous county in Gangwon Province, some 180 kilometers east
of Seoul, attempted to host the 2014 Winter Olympics but was defeated by Russia's
Sochi last year. It also lost the competition for the 2010 Winter Games to
Vancouver, Canada.
"Winning the bid to host the Winter Olympics is a long held dream of the Korean
people. We believe that we can succeed in our third attempt," said Kim Man-gi, a
spokesman for Gangwon Province.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is expected to notify its member states
of the schedule for selecting the 2018 Winter Olympics host city in February.
Pyeongchang will first compete against other Korean cities also seeking to play
host to the event, according to Kim.
If the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) confirms Pyeongchang as the country's
candidate, a bidding committee will be established by March, Kim said. The Korean
government will submit an official application to the IOC in October and then
start the international campaign.
"Pyeongchang received the highest marks in preparedness and presentation from IOC
members during the last two inspections," Kim said. "Now is the time for
Pyeongchang to host the Winter Olympics."
The host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be decided at an IOC general
conference slated for July 2011 in Durban, South Africa. Munich, Germany, and
Harbin, China, are reportedly competing for the global sporting event.
brk@yna.co.kr
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