The Lakai Sandpine Resort is the venue for the sixth Pyeongchang 2018 IOC Coordination Commission visit ©Lakai Sandpine

Recent and future test events and construction deadlines are set to form a key part of the agenda when preparations for Pyeongchang 2018 are inspected during the sixth visit of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission, which begins here tomorrow.

The delegation, led by Coordination Commission chair Gunilla Lindberg, also the secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees, will be given a tour of the venues in Gangneung due to be used when South Korea hosts the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The group of officials will be joined by representatives from Pyeongchang 2018 including Organising Committee President Cho Yang-ho, as well as from the Korean Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Gangneung, located around 170 kilometres east of capital city Seoul, is scheduled to host ice hockey, curling, figure skating, short track speed skating and speed skating across five different venues during the Games.

The Coordination Commission will then hold extensive meetings with Pyeongchang 2018 organisers on Tuesday (March 15), before their visit concludes with a press conference the following day.

Pyeongchang 2018 has just finished a hectic yet successful schedule of test events in February, with International Ski Federation World Cup competitions taking place at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre and Bokwang Snow Park.

The skiers and snowboarders who took part in the various events were full of praise for both the facilities and the organisation of the respective competitions, providing a boost to Pyeongchang 2018 with just two years to go until the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games come to the country for the first time.

A lack of ice on the upper section of the course at the Alpensia Sliding Centre remains a key issue for organisers
A lack of ice on the upper section of the course at the Alpensia Sliding Centre remains a key issue for organisers ©Getty Images

Their preparations hit a slight hitch recently, however, when a full round of testing at the Alpensia Sliding Centre could not be completed due to a lack of ice on the upper part of the course.

Delegations from the International Luge Federation and the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation travelled to South Korea to test the venue, with the likes of three-time Olympic luge champion Felix Loch of Germany in attendance.

The key testing period has now been put back until October and the facility faces a race to be ready in time for the test events, due to be held next winter.

The Coordination Commission will be given updates on construction progress at the respective venues here, including the Curling Centre, the Hockey Centre, the Ice Arena, the Gangneung Oval and Kwandong Hockey Centre.

Pyeongchang 2018 has also recently added to its portfolio of sponsors by signing deals with two subsidiaries of South Korean conglomerate LG Group, SERVEONE and HS Ad.

A major pre-Games concern has also been partially addressed with the unveiling of a new bullet train by Hyundai Rotem that will be used to link Seoul with Pyeongchang during the Games.

South Korean officials are now predicting the journey will be done in two hours.