Pyeongchang appeared to have the most to celebrate after they were praised for all parts of their bid with Munich, who also received a glowing report, hot on their heels.

Annecy, though, appear to have fallen slightly behind in the three-horse race after the report criticised the distance and travel time between some of the venues in the French city.

All, though, were looking for the positives as the countdown to the final vote at the IOC Session in Durban on July 6 fast approaches.

Yang Ho Cho, chairman and chief executive of Pyeongcchang 2018, said: "I am absolutely delighted that the IOC's report confirms that Pyeongchang is considered ready to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Games to South Korea for the first time.

"The Evaluation Commission's visit to Pyeongchang was a great success and this has been highlighted in their recognition of our bid as 'a national priority' and that 'all land required for the construction and operation of the competition venues has been secured'.

"We are particularly delighted that the report praises Pyeongchang's efficient and compact Games Plan, and that the IOC has acknowledged that we have kept our promises and developed a sports resort tailor-made for the Winter Games, ensuring athletes, the Olympic Family and winter sports fans will have a convenient, safe and fun Winter Games experience.

"We are also proud that the IOC report recognises the amazing level of public support that our bid has across Korea, as shown by the IOC's poll of 92 per cent in Pyeongchang, 87 per cent in Gangwon Province and 87 per cent nationally in favour of us hosting the 2018 Winter Games.

"With less than two months to go until the vote in Durban, we are confident that Pyeongchang would deliver an unforgettable Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games that have the power to inspire a new generation of winter sports athletes and provide a platform for winter sports to grow and thrive in new areas of the world."

But Pyeongchang also ranked highly four years in the bidding for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, but were pipped on the line by outsiders Sochi at the vote in Guatemala City.

That will give Munich encouragement.

"On very first reading, we are absolutely thrilled with the IOC Evaluation Commission's report on Munich 2018," said Bernhard Schwank, the chief executive of Munich 2018.

"Of course we will be reading and digesting the report more closely, but right now we want to offer our sincere thanks to the Commission members for their full and frank assessment of our bid's strengths.

"It was particularly pleasing to see that the core pillars of our Winter Games concept clearly resonated with the Commission during its visit, particularly Munich 2018's compact, athlete-friendly plan and our unique story of Olympic sustainability.

"The report cites our 'strong and innovative sustainability strategy with the extensive use of existing and tempor ary facilities'; we are delighted that our vision of staging a Winter Games in existing Summer Games venues for the first time in Olympic history struck a chord with the Commission."

Annecy 2018 President Charles Beigbeder decided to look on the positives on the report on the French city and paid tribute to the Evaluation Commission.

"Today's report released by the IOC Evaluation Commission is a real boost for the bid as it highlights the technical strengths of Annecy 2018's vision of authentic Games in the heart of the mountains, with the athletes and for the future," Beigbeder said.

"On behalf of Annecy 2018 and all of France I would like to thank Ms Gunilla Lindberg [chair of the 2018 IOC Evaluation Commission] and her team for the committed, professional and skilled job they did on the Evaluation Commission visit and in their reports.

"We found the IOC's input during the entire technical process to be invaluable and they have helped us refine our technical proposals to develop a plan that would benefit Winter Sports all over the globe.

"We believe this strong report will help us to convince the Olympic Family that Annecy offers the best possible and most nurturing home for the 2018 Winter and Paralympic Games.

"Reuniting the Olympic movement with the Winter Sports heritage of the French Alps would inspire new innovations to be shared with the world."

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