The decision was made for "logistical reasons" after the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) considered the distances between the sports venues and the airports in Incheon and Gimpo.

The venues, in host county Pyeongchang and sub-host cities Gangneung and Jeongseon, are in the Gangwon Province on the east coast of South Korea, while Incheon and Gimpo airports are on the west coast.

The JOC have therefore decided to charter a plane to Yangyang, which is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Pyeongchang on the east coast of the country.

Speaking to NHK, JOC President Tsunekazu Takeda said: "The JOC decided to use Yangyang Airport near the host cities in order to relieve the burden on the athletes on their way to the Olympic Village."

Last month, it was revealed that athletes would travel from Incheon Airport, the primary gateway to South Korea and capital Seoul, to Pyeongchang on buses and not on the new high-speed railway line.

It is expected that a train journey from Incheon to Gangneung will take just under two hours, with the first public service due on December 22.

Athletes were due to travel by rail but many National Olympic Committees were concerned about the risk of crucial equipment, such as skis or skates, going missing during the journey. 

They will now travel by bus with their kit following in special trucks immediately behind.

Travel by road is expected to take more than three hours.

Japan came 17th in the medal table at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics with one gold, three silver and four bronze medals.

The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will take place from February 9 to 25.