On January 26, Pyeongchang's bidding committee for the 2018 Winter Olympics set up the “Environment Subcommittee" in a bid to realize an eco-friendly, low-carbon Olympics. The Environment Subcommittee held its kick-off meeting at the Bears Tourist Hotel in Chunchon. The Subcommittee appointed 16 experts on ecosystems, climate chang, and water quality as subcommittee members, and Lee Jong-beom, professor of Environmental Science at Kangwon National University, as its head.
At the kick-off meeting, the Environment Subcommittee prepared answers to environmental questions, which will be included in Pyeongchang's application file. The paper discussed specific ways to outsource research activities to achieve a green Winter Olympics in 2018. Subcommittee chairman Lee Jong-beom said, "When it comes to the environment, Pyeongchang will come up with the most detailed and feasible master plan to differentiate Pyeongchang's version of an eco-friendly Winter Olympics from the rest. And transportation and management of stadiums will be prepared in a way that could contribute to the international efforts to tackle the issues of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Environment Subcommittee plans to meet on a quarterly basis to advise Pyeongchang's bidding committee for the 2018 Winter Olympics on the construction of stadiums and the overall management. In addition, the Subcommittee will actively provide environmental input into the preparation of the application and candidate city files, which will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
