Currently, the final selection prospects among the three bidding cities including Salzburg, Austria and Russia's Sochi is very close. Accordingly, the 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee has committed itself to starting everything from "zero" anew since the hosting city decision will be decided by IOC committee members' votes.
Since PyeongChang was recognized officially in terms of its Olympic Winter Games hosting capability with IOC's official bidding city confirmation, the 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee plans to continuously publicize and persuade international sports circles of its distinctive features differentiating it from other competing cities.
Realization of Olympic spirit
In this competitive and positive spirit, Chairman Han Seung-soo of the 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee stressed:
"PyeongChang is a place which can best realize the spirit of the Olympic movement in terms of athlete-centered, game-oriented Olympic goal accomplishment, the of winter sports in Asia spread, its and contribution to the promotion of peace in the Korean Peninsula and common prosperity through regional development."
Han has committed himself to promoting the 2014 Olympic Winter Game for PyeongChang by more precisely providing information to the global community with PyeongChang's vision and all-round capabilities.
To achieve this, he is doing his best to publicize proactively PyeongChang's distinctive features by constructing a support system with related organizations as well as institutions such as the government, the National Assembly, and KOC (Korea Olympic Committee).
He said: "The 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee will do its best to provide enough information on PC to IOC committee members in order to help them make positive dicision for PC.
Making progress in infrastructure
As regards the IOC's assessment analysis about the three official candidate cities, Han assesses that basically the three bidding cities are recognized as being equipped to host the Winter Olympic Games.
In comparison with competing cities, he explained: "PyeongChang is confident that the city will be able to attract the 2014 Olympic Winter Games as it has improved evenly in each field as evidenced in the IOC's assessment.
According to the IOC's official assessment analysis, PyeongChang received the highest marks in terms of governmental support, legal issues, public opinion and lodging and got above average marks in the remaining items such as basic infrastructure, game facility, and transportation concept in comparison with other competing cities.
In relation to infrastructure expansion like arena facility as well as surrounding traffic and lodging etc., the 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee pointed out: "Infrastructure was supplemented much more than at the time of the 2010 bid and moreover the planned parts are progressing well."
As regards transportation infrastructure, a convenient and safe multi-mode and multi-path transportation service will be attained, Han said, adding that solid connection transport network will be constructed with air, roads, and railways as its transportation axis from Incheon International Airport and Yangyang International Airport, entry airports, providing easy access to all venues.
In terms of accommodation facilities too, PyeongChang offers diverse options, with 1,400 lodging facilities such as tourist hotels, condos, motels, and pensions and by 2010, an additional 60 lodging facilities (14,000 rooms) will be built, he said.
"Dream Program"
Han praised Gangwon province's efforts to promote winter sports. For example Gangwon province has launched the "Dream Program" that was presented to the IOC during the 2010 Winter Olympic Bid, since 2004.
Through this Dream Program, in which 328 young people from 78 countries already took part over three years since 2004, Gangwon province helps spread the spirit of the Olympic movement by means of winter sports training, culture exchange as well as friendship furtherance.
Gangwon province's "Alpensia Resort' project is a new concept for a complex resort project to be used as a base facility for the 2014 Olympics.This Alpensia Resort project will be facilitated by being divided into two sections such as Winter Olympic area (1km2) and resort area on a scale of 4.92km2. With construction expenses amounting to 1.2699 trillion won (around $1.33 billion), the Winter Olympics area will coutain ski jumps, biathlons, a cross-country stadium, all sorts of subsidiary facilities, rural-model pension construction and so on. The other resort area will be comprised of a resort village, ski resort, and golf area etc. If the Alpensia Resort is completed as planned, the 2008 Biathlon Worldcup and the 2009 World Championship will be held there.
Chairman Han emphasized that the National Assembly Special committee on 2014 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games Bid has been very active in supporting the aims and activities of the Bid Committee. They held two meetings on the site in PyeongChang to show the determination of the National Assembly to support the bid effort.
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