PyeongChang Celebrates 1,000 Days to 2018 Olympics -- Monday Memo

A man walks along a row of banners with the logo of South Korea's mountain resort of Pyeongchang, 180 kms east of Seoul, on July 7, 2011 after the mountain resort was picked to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The resort is in a festive mood after its third bid was successful after two faild bids. AFP PHOTO/JUNG YEON-JE (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

(ATR) PyeongChang is celebrating 1,000 days to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, May 16-17.

Ceremonies will take place across South Korea in Gangneung, Jeongseon,PyeongChang and Seoul.

The theme, a PyeongChang 2018 spokesman tells Around the Rings, is "Happy PyeongChang, Promise for 1,000 days."

POCOG president Yang Ho Cho will deliver a speech to open the celebration at a ceremony in Seoul.

Games ambassadors including Olympian Yu-na Kim will be in Chuncheon, the capital of the Gangwon Province, for the host region ceremony.

On May 16, a TV special titled "A Dream Journey Together" will be broadcast countrywide to introduce residents to the PyeongChang 2018 mentoring program.

Organizers plan to reveal the PyeongChang 2018 slogan accompanied by cultural performances and on-site interviews with locals at venue cities.

PyeongChang 2018 will appoint new honorary ambassadors and set up winter sport exhibitions, promotional booths for sponsors throughout each venue city.

World Taekwondo Championships

The World Taekwondo Federation is staging the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, May 12-18.

The championships, taking place every two years, were last held in Puebla, Mexico.

As of last week, the WTF says a total of 875 athletes from 136 countries had submitted their entry forms for the championships.

The Traktor Arena will host competition for the 22nd edition of the World Taekwondo Championships.

Advancing to a round of 16 or higher at the championships is part of the qualification system for athletes hoping to compete in taekwondo at the 2016 Olympics.

Rio 2016 Qualification

May 15 marks the beginning of the qualification period for triathletes vying for a spot at the Rio Games.

Athletes will qualify based on world ranking points.

International Athletics Fed in Doha

The IAAF Diamond League’s 2015 season starts on May 15 at the Suhain bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

The Qatari capital staged the first-ever Diamond League meet at the Qatar Sports Club stadium in 2010.

The second meet of the 2015 Diamond League season is slated for May 17 in Shanghai, China.

EOC Extraordinary General Assembly

Belek, a Turkish town in the city of Anatalya, will host the Extraordinary General Assembly of theEuropean Olympic Committees, May 14-16.

The EOC executive committee, led by president Pat Hickey, includes vice president Janez Kocijancic, secretary general Raffaele Pagnozzi andtreasurer Kikis N. Lazarides.

WADA in Montreal

The executive committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency meets in Montreal May 12-13.

The 12-member committee is led by IOC vice president Craig Reedie.

Ice Hockey World Championship

The 2015 Ice Hockey World Championship is underway.

Two of the largest cities in the Czech Republic, Ostrava and Prague, are hosting the event.

The International Ice Hockey Federation, along with the Czech Ice Hockey Association, expects over 600,000 spectators to attend the championship.

Sixteen teams will compete at the championship which ends on May 17.

Written byNicole Bennett

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