(ATR) Games organizers on Tuesday staged a groundbreaking ceremony to launch construction of the $1.5 billion Olympic Village.
POCOG president Yang-ho Cho, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for PyeongChang 2018 Gunilla Lindberg and members of her inspection team attended the ceremony along with the city's mayor and president of Yongpyong Resort.
The Olympic Village is being constructed at the site of the 42,000 square-meter Yongpyong Dome in the mountain cluster and privately funded by Yongpyong Resort.
Construction is slated for completion in September 2017. The village will accommodate around 3,500 athletes.
Post-Games, the Olympic Village will be sold off in individual blocks for local community housing, a move set to save POCOG more than $8.5 million.
Speaking at the ceremony, Cho said: "POCOG is committed to building a village that will provide the best environment for athletes so they can be in optimal condition for their competition. POCOG also wants it to be as comfortable as they are at home where they can relax and enjoy meeting fellow athletes from around the world."
Lindberg praised PyeongChang 2018, local authorities and the developer "for their hard work on this important project".
"I am confident that this village will be a good facility for the athletes and I know that president Cho and his team will spare no effort to deliver the best conditions and services possible for those Olympians staying here in 2018."
The IOC co-comm is making its fifth visit to the 2018 Winter Olympic host to examine all aspects of Games preparations. The inspection started today and runs through Thursday.
Recruiting new sponsors following a slow trickle since the Korean city won the Games is one of the main issues on the agenda, along with budget and venue monitoring.
The IOC delegation also went on a venue tour on Tuesday, taking in the Alpensia Sliding Center and Jeongseon Alpine Centre.
On Wednesday and Thursday, further briefings and meetings are scheduled with Games organizers and stakeholders.
Topics of discussion will include: venues, marketing, budget, people management, test events, Olympic Village, accommodation, engagement/communication and media operations.
The IOC visit concludes with a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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