IOC Warns of Tight Delivery Dates as PyeongChang Inspection Wraps

(ATR) The IOC Coordination Commission gave a vote of confidence to PyeongChang 2018 as they continue preparations for the test events in February with little time to spare.

A three-day visit to Korea by the inspection team of IOC officials and winter sports experts concluded on Thursday.Men’s FIS Alpine World Cup downhill and Super-G races in February will kick-off nearly 30 test events for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympics.

"We have been working with POCOG to plan for the test events and we know it‘s a tight schedule, but during our visit here we have been convinced and when they say the venues for the test events will be ready, we trust them," said IOC co-comm chair Gunilla Lindberg at a press conference Thursday.

"The progress has been fantastic over the last six months. We also have Mr. Kasper (FIS president) on the coordination commission and he is confident from the FIS side."

"The organisers need to maintain their focus, as some delivery dates are very close to the start of the test events," Lindberg added. "It is important that PyeongChang 2018 delivers these events successfully in order to create a solid basis for its planning and preparations for the Games."

Joining Lindberg and the IOC team on the fifth inspection visit were representatives from all seven winter sports federations, sharing their expertise and actively contributing to the venue planning. Shealso confirmed that POCOG has submitted three proposals for the site of the newly added snowboard big air event. With Seoul as a possibility, the exact location will be finalized over the next few weeks.

In addition to scouting the future 2018 venues, the commission also examined work across the Olympic project including services for the athletes, transport, marketing and legacy.PyeongChang 2018 claimed "good news on the marketing front" but admitted that it had only reached just over 50 percent of its sponsorship target with two-and-a-half years to the Games.

Organising committee president Yang-ho Chosaid he felt "we are moving in the right direction" to stage great Games."We have made a number of important and critical decisions. As we move further ahead into the operations phase of the Games, I would like to thank the national and international federations for their guidance and support," he said.

The IOC delegation was informed that thevenue legacy advisory group, partnership betweenPyeongChang 2018, the Government and Gangwon authorities, will deliver on their commitment to complete detailed legacy plans for the venues by December.

Earlier this week, POCOG held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Olympic Village.Organisers also noted the construction of the high-speedtrain linking Seoul to PyeongChang is on track for completion in July 2017.

The sixth IOC Coordination Commission visit takes place next March.

Broadcast Deal

PyeongChang 2018 on Thursday appointed the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the exclusive sales agent for broadcast rights to the 2018 Paralympics."Through the IPC taking on a similar role for the 2014 and 2016 Games, we have not only built loyalty with rights holders but continuity with TV viewers who are able to see more hours of Paralympic sport coverage than ever before,"IPC chief executive Xavier Gonzalez.

Snowboarders at Baseball’s Fenway Park

Snowboard Big Air will make its Olympic debut in PyeongChang 2018, but in the meantime it will make a stop at Boston’s venerable baseball stadium.Fenway Park will host a FIS World Cup snowboard and U.S. Grand Prix event on Feb. 11-12, one week before the scheduled test event in PyeongChang.

The Big Air event at Fenway will feature a 140-foot snow ramp, more than three times the height of Fenway’s Green Monster – the famed left outfield wall in the baseball stadium. Olympic and world champions will compete for a grand prize purse of $150,000.

"Big Air at Fenway will be one of the largest events in the 20-year history of the U.S. Grand Prix," said United States Ski & Snowboard Chief Marketing Officer Michael Jaquet. "It will be a great show for spectators at Fenway Park and watching at home."

Reported by Brian Pinelli

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