There has been weeks of tension on the Korean peninsula leading to speculation over whether North Korea will participate at Pyeongchang 2018. 

At present, no athletes from North Korea have qualified for the Games. 

IOC President Thomas Bach, however, has joined leading South Korean politicians in call for them to feature in an attempt to use sport to build bridges.

Russian participation in the aftermath of alleged institutional doping scandal is another key issue overshadowing the build-up.

A lingering political cronyism scandal which has ravaged South Korea in recent months is another distraction. 

Jay Y. Lee, the son of Olympic sponsor Samsung head and IOC member Kun-Hee Lee, was last week sentenced to five years in prison for paying bribes in return for possible favours from former President Park Geun-hye.

The IOC Coordination Commission, chaired by Gunilla Lindberg will, however, focus on an array of technical challenges more closely associated with the Games.

This includes concerns over number of hotel rooms at several mountain clusters and the quality of transportation plans taking Games personnel between venues and to and from Incheon International Airport.

The latest annual budget for 2017 has still not been published by Pyeongchang 2018.

Pyeongchang 2018 organisers could face further criticism of lack of transparency after announcing they will not conduct any interviews with the media over the next three days until a closing press conference on Thursday (August 31).

Other challenges include relatively poor ticket sales so far shortly before the opening of an online process for the Olympic Games on September 5.

Legacy plans at two venues have still not been finalised.

Construction progress has been widely praised, however, in stark contrast to at this stage before Rio 2016.

Detailed venue testing is not expected to take place this week due to the lack of snow in August.

The three-day inspection visit is due to begin with a plenary session tomorrow before site visits to various ice sport venues in Gangneung.

A series of parallel sessions discussing different aspects will then take place by the inspection ends on Thursday (August 31).

Other IOC members due to attend include United States’ Athletes’ Commission chair Angela Ruggiero, Britain’s former skeleton athlete Adam Pengilly, New Zealand’s Olympic gold medallist Barry Maister and Swiss duo Gian Franco Kasper and René Fasel, Presidents of the International Ski Federation and International Ice Hockey Federation respectively.

IOC executive director for the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi will lead a large delegation of IOC administrative staff.

The Winter Olympic Games are due to take place from February 9 to 25 before the Paralympics follow between March 9 and 16.