Cho: PyeongChang 2018 Will "Pick Up Pace" -- On the Scene

(ATR) Pyeongchang 2018 president Yang Ho Cho admits construction of Olympic venues must be accelerated.

In opening remarks at the fourth IOC Coordination Commission plenary session in Gangneung, Cho said: "With the PyeongChang Winter Games less than three years away, it is a crucial time for us.

"We have a tight timeline, but we will pick up the pace with construction."

The co-comm members, including Todd Nicholson, a five-time Paralympian in sled hockey and member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, toured the future Olympic venue sites on Tuesday in preparation for Wednesday’s session.

"I think one of the biggest things that came out of the venue tour was the ability to ask questions in terms of what is going to be done with them and who is going to be looking after it afterwards," Nicholson told Around the Rings.

"For the most part, they are thinking about that which is good in terms of their development and where they’re going," Nicholson said referring to POCOG.

Paralympic Concerns

Nicholson, who serves on the International Paralympic Committee governing board and played on Canada’s gold medal winning sled hockey team in 2006, discussed key points to be considered to accommodate Paralympians.

"I’ve seen the hockey venue and obviously there’s going to be some hurdles and things we need to make sure are looked at now," Nicholson said.

"Similar to what we did in Sochi when you have a gap between the main arena and practice arena – how do we get our Paralympic athletes over to the training venue because once they change in the main locker room there are some mobility issues?"

The Gangneung Hockey Center and its adjacent practice facility are scheduled to be completed by November 2016 and host test events in 2017. The IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Championships are slated for March 2017, while the IIHF World Championship is provisionally scheduled for the following month.

"When it comes to test events, you want to ensure that all aspects are looked at," said the 46-year old Ontario, Canada native. "A test event is treated as a major event."

One of two hockey arenas being built for the PyeongChang Games, the Gangneung Hockey Center will accommodate 10,000 spectators and encompass an area of 24,342 square meters.

Nicholson also weighed in on the hotly debated topic of what will become of the primary hockey venue after the Paralympics in March 2018. There has been speculation that the arena could be dismantled and moved or even demolished, which could incur an additional cost of $90,000.

"I think it would definitely be a big disappointment in terms of legacy," Nicholson said. "Whether it’s an arena or sporting complex, I would hate to see it disappear."

Nicholson referenced Sochi 2014's initial plans to move arenas following the Games, an initiative which never came to fruition. "They discovered it’s just as cost-effective to build something somewhere else and leave the venue there and use it in some other shape or form," he said.

Also a concern is whether the hockey arena should be built to a higher standard to entice the U.S. based National Hockey League, as the world’s premier league has not yet committed its players for the 2018 Games.

"Regardless of whether our NHL players or amateurs come, you want to make sure the viability of what people are seeing is very good," Nicholson said. "Ultimately, it all needs to be done to a high level of professionalism."

Reported by Brian Pinelli in PyeongChang

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.