Lindberg, recently appointed as the head of the IOC's Coordination Commission, and Gilbert Felli, the IOC's Executive Director, travelled to the Alpensia Resort, the centerpiece of the 2018 Winter Games, from Daegu, where they had been attending the World Athletics Championships. 

The Orientation Seminar will be attended by more than 150 people expected to be involved in the organisation of the Games. 

Among these taking part are Yang·Ho·Cho, who was the chairman and chief executive of the successful bid and is hoping to be picked to lead the Organising Committee. 

A decision is expected to be announced next month.

The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), led by President Y S Park, is also playing a leading role in the Seminar.

"It's a great pleasure to be back in Pyeongchang, as you begin life as an Olympic host city," said Lindberg, who was also the chair of the Evaluation Commission that inspected Pyeongchang's bid, along with those of rivals Annecy and Munich. 

"Today, we embark on a journey together that will last nearly seven years, as we strive to organize the first ever Olympic Winter Games in the Republic of Korea.

"This Orientation Seminar is a key element in ensuring that the foundation upon which we construct·preparations for the Games is solid but from my experience with the Evaluation Commission and having seen the work of the Pyeongchang team, I am confident that we will deliver great Games in 2018."


The first day of the Seminar started with a video message from IOC President Jacques Rogge and was followed by a Pyeongchang 2018 presentation on the vision, concept, legacy and future plans of their project.

The IOC then provided an overview of Olympism and the Olympic Games lifecycle.

The Seminar will continue for two more days with the IOC presenting to Pyeongchang 2018 the Games Management Model across a number of functions including venues, planning, clients, commercial, marketing and communications, to help guide the South Korean city to a smooth start.

On the last day, the IOC delegation will tour the proposed venue sites at the two clusters in Pyeongchang and Gangneung.

"Over the next seven years we will work closely with the IOC to stage a great Games," said Cho.

"The Organising Committee will soon be formed and all stakeholders in the process, including the central and local Government, KOC, KPC and private sector partners, will work together to ensure Pyeongchang's success."

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