IOC Concerned Over PyeongChang 2018 Legacy

(ATR) PyeongChang 2018 must provide updated legacy plans by November, the IOC said during its last Coordination Commission visit.

During the ninth and final 2018 IOC CoComm visit committee chair Gunilla Lindberg told reporters that key venue legacy plans remain unfulfilled. Lindberg said that Games details "continue to be refined," although progress is needed.

"Despite legacies being identified in the bid and different options being presented over the past seven years, the definitive legacy use for several venues is still outstanding," Lindberg said.

"This is a concern for us and we are expecting the plans to be ready in the end of November. We have pushed not only POCOG but the local and national government to come back with plans for the legacy."

Lindberg declined to mention which venues’ legacy plans required updates. Hedging the criticism, she said that the developments in the high speed rail line and the two Olympic Villages were positive.

Testing on the rail line is underway and will continue through the end of the year. Lindberg said she will "for sure" take the train from Incheon Airport to PyeongChang. Organizers are continuing to work with National Olympic Committees to arrange transport on the high speed rail. Earlier this year PyeongChang 2018 acknowledged that large equipment required for the Games will not be able to be transported by rail.

PyeongChang 2018 Secretary General Hyung Koo Yeo said that organizers "will provide all our clients" with transport on the high speed rail. Still, organizers accept that some NOCs would prefer to transport athletes themselves by bus, but will be providing ground transport for large equipment.

Downplaying North Korea Threat

Both PyeongChang 2018 and IOC officials say that the threat of a destabilized Korean Peninsula affecting the 2018 Winter Olympics remains relatively low.

As continued threats emerge from North Korea regarding potential missile provocations in the run up to the Olympics, organizers believe that peace will prevail during the Games period. PyeongChang 2018 President Hee Beom Lee told reporters that the issue is one of the "greatest concerns" from the media, but reiterated the region’s safety.

"We are forging close ties with major countries around the world including the U.S. to make sure we have a safe Games," Lee said. "In April this year we had a woman’s ice hockey game with North Korea. We had more than 200 sport journalists from around the world and they witnessed that PyeongChang is a very safe place."

Lindberg said that IOC President Thomas Bach continues to have dialogues with world leaders surrounding the issue and will be appealing to the United Nations in the coming weeks to sign the traditional Olympic Truce. Bach has spoken with Korean President Jae In Moon as well as U.S. President Donald Trump according to Lindberg.

"We are of course monitoring the situation closely, and this includes that President Bach has many contacts with heads of states in neighboring countries," Lindberg said. "For the moment we don’t see security risk for the Games here."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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