The President and chief executive of Pyeongchang 2018 Yang Ho Cho, Korean Olympic Committee President Yong Sung Park and Gangwon Province Governor Kwang Jae Lee were among the officials who attended the meeting in Seoul.

Pyeongchang Mayor Seok Rae Lee signed the Candidate File and Letter of Undertaking.

The Pyeongchang 2018 Candidate File responds to 17 themes and 261 questions and is set to be delivered to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne by the deadline next Tuesday (January 11).

The File was prepared and developed by Pyeongchang 2018's dedicated team of experts who are specialised in major sports events planning and delivery.

The content of the 17 themes featured in the Candidate File includes detailed proposals, that Korean officials claim, will be an athlete-focused Winter Games – showcasing one of the most compact Winter Games Plans in history, and Pyeongchang's efficient multi-transport network including the new high-speed railway that has been guaranteed by the Government and will connect Seoul and PyeongChang in just 50 minutes.

In a survey 91.4 percent of Koreans and 93.4 percent of Gangwon Province residents support the bid for the 2018 Winter Games.

Korean officials believe that this gives them a significant advantage over Munich, their main rival where there has been high-profile vocal opposition from local farmers in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where the ski events are due to be staged. 

"We think the resistance from local citizens can't stop Munich's bid," said Park during a press conference in the Korean capital.

"But it would be better to open the Winter Games at a city where it is welcomed by the residents."



Cho (pictured), who will lead the delegation to Switzerland to deliver the Candidate File, claimed this is a is a significant moment in the bid race which reaches a climax at the IOC Session in Durban on July 6.

"The Pyeongchang 2018 Candidate File is a fundamental document for the IOC's evaluation of our proposed Winter Games Plan and we are delighted to confirm that it has been endorsed and approved by all major parties involved with the bid," he said.

"The submission of our Candidate File to the IOC represents a milestone moment in our campaign, and is an important opportunity to highlight Pyeongchang 2018's commitment to offer the Olympic Movement a world of New Horizons – helping Winter Sports achieves new growth and new potential like never before."

Lee, the new Governor of Gangwon Province, predicted that Pyeongchang deserved the opportunity to host the Games having narrowly failed to win its bids to stage the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

"Though we failed twice we will surely keep our promise to the IOC," he said.

"Based on the full support of the Government we have installed new venues for events like the ski jump, biathlon and cross country and we will continue the Dream Programme."

The Dream Programme is designed to invite many young people from nations which scarcely see winter sports.

The programme began in 2004, inviting 806 people from 42 countries over the past seven years.

Three of them participated in the Vancouver Olympics.

"We shed a lot of tears during the previous two bids," said Lee.

"And we will likely shed tears again, this time for the opposite reason."

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