(ATR) A more compact plan is the big difference between the PyeongChang bid for 2018 and its two past attempts to secure the Winter Olympic Games, the official in charge of the file tells Around the Rings.
Byeong Nam Lee, Director General, Evaluation Preparation and Facilities for the PyeongChang bid tells Around the Rings this bid begins with all the venues located within 30 minutes distance in two clusters.
"It is a much stronger bid now," says Lee, comparing the 2018 bid with those for 2014 and 2010 that had three venue clusters, creating issues for ice hockey, a marquee event of the Games.
Ice hockey, along with all the other arena events, is nowlocated in Gangneung, the coastal city near PyeongChang, creating what’s called the coastal cluster.On the East Sea about 30km from PyeongChang, the city of 250,000 will host four venues as well as a second Olympic Village.
The 70-pageApplicant Filewas submitted to the IOC ahead of the March 15 deadline, along with the files from 2018 rivals Annecy, France and Munich, Germany.
The PyeongChang website, http://pyeongchang2018.org , is currently limited to Korean.
PyeongChang Applicant File Highlights
As have past bids, the 2018 proposal draws its motivation from an interest in developing winter sports in Korea and in Asia.
"PyeongChang 2018 is committed to making all-out efforts to see winter sports realise its full potential in the region," says the applicant file.
While past bids have mentioned the possibility that the Winter Olympics might help unite the divided Koreas, the 2018 bid takes a more modest view.
"The Olympic Games has encouraged various exchanges and cooperations in sports and other areas between the two Koreas, such as the joint entrance of the South and North Korean teams at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. PyeongChang’s hosting of the 2018 Winter Games will further the cooperative relationship," says the dossier.
Feb. 9 to 25 are the dates proposed, March 9 to 18 for the Winter Paralympics.
Daily average temperature druing the Olympic periodis said to be -4c, with a snow depth of 37.1 cm recorded in the last 10 years, according to the file.
PyeongChang says it presents "the most compact concept for the Winter Games. All venues will be accessible within 30 minutes of each other to ensure convenience, comfort and outstanding athletic performances."
The Alpensia Cluster of venues in the mountains of PyeongChang will host six venues, plus the Olympic Village, Media Village and IOC hotel.
There are two standalone venues: the downhill course is 30 minutes away from PyeongChang in the hamlet of Jungbong and the freestyle and snowboard eventsare a similar distance at Bokwang Phoenix Park.
Six new venues will remain for legacy use after the Games, one ice arena will be dismantled and moved to Wonju City in Gangwon Province for use by a professional hockey team.
Public support for the bid ranges from 91 percent across Korea to 93 percent in Gangwon Province, levels nearly identical to the 2014 bid. The applicant file says there is no opposition to the bid.
The national government guarantees the construction of venues, infrastructure, the Paralympics budget, the cost of workforce mobilization as well as any revenue shortfall for the OCOG.
City government guarantees the construction of the three ice arenas located in Gangneung.
Domestic revenue forecasts are dialed-back from the 2014 bid: $651 million for 2018 compared to $772 million for 2014. "The IOC wanted us to be conservative with the revenues," says Lee.
Ticketsales are forecast at $158 million; domestic sponsorship at $250 million.
PyeongChang predicts selling 78.2 percent of 2 million tickets available.
Since 1999, PyeongChang and Korea have hosted 20 major international events in winter sport, including six world championships.
The Alpensia Olympic Village is 10 minutes from snow and sliding venues, with room for 3,500 beds.
The village in Gangneung will be built as an apartment building with 2,300 beds.
The International Broadcast Center and Main Press Center are located in the same building in Alpensia.
The Olympic Stadium at Alpensia will hold 26,000 spectators for ski jumping and ceremonies.
The Applicant File says 76,054 rooms have been secured in hotels and other accommodations with almost 100,000 rooms ready by 2016.
Daily hotel room rates range from $72 for a 3-star single to $364 for a suite.
The bid budget is $31.5 million.
PyeongChang says it has sufficient population to host the Olympics: 1.525 million in the province, 50.6 million across Korea.
Incheon Airport is 240km from PyeongChang, 267km from the Gangneung Cluster.
A $3 billion express rail service in Gangwon Province is under construction for completion in 2017, the single biggest infrastructure project for the bid. Other projects for roadways will cost about $900 million.
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Written by Ed Hula.
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