The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission held its fourth Project Review in Pyeongchang last week where Gunilla Lindberg, chair of the Commission, identified that "timelines in a number of areas remain tight".

She added: "So the Pyeongchang Organising Committee and its partners must continue to accelerate their work and reorganisation in order to ensure the successful delivery of the venues and related services."

President Park today echoed this sentiment during a meeting in her Presidential Office, calling for "thorough preparations as not much time is left to ensure the Winter Olympics will serve as a springboard for the development of our tourism and culture industry".

South Korea has faced various difficulties in getting its venues ready in time for the winter spectacle in 2018, with cost and environmental issues casting shadows over a number of facilities.

Plans for South Korea to co-host the event with another nation, one option to reduce both of these issues, were finally ruled out by Lindberg last week when she announced that the venue master plan had been finalised with Pyeongchang organisers.

Gunilla Lindberg, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, urged Pyeongchang 2018 organisers to "accelerate their work" during a Project Review visit last week
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Speculation has arisen in local media that events could be moved to other cities in South Korea, allowing the nation to fully host the event while making full use of pre-existing facilities in nearby regions.

This could be particular plausible in Seoul where a speed skating rink is already fully-functional.

Efforts to upgrade this venue would likely prove more cost-efficient and reduce the likelihood of white elephants in Pyeongchang in the years after the Games.

In fact, opinion polls conducted last year showed that more than half of South Koreans were opposed to relocating competitions to another country as suggested by the IOC, but nearly 60 per cent agreed to split events between Pyeongchang and other domestic locations.

However, despite the speculation, and following the finalisation of the master venue plan, it currently seems unlikely that Pyeongchang will chose to relocate any of its events in the build up to the 2018 Winter Games.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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