PyeongChang Winter Games bid officials vow to bear down for 100 days until IOC vote

SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Officials of the 2018 Winter Olympics bidding committee for PyeongChang, a South Korean alpine town, on Monday vowed to keep up their work until the final moment, as they marked the start of the 100-day countdown to the vote on the Winter Games host.
Cho Yang-ho, head of the bidding committee, was joined by Park Yong-sung, head of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), and Choung Byoung-gug, the minister of culture, sports and tourism, among some 500 other officials for the ceremony at the Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul.
Also on hand were honorary ambassadors for PyeongChang, including a trio of speed skating gold medalists from the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Lee Seung-hoon, Lee Sang-hwa and Mo Tae-bum, and former Olympic short track champion Choi Min-kyung.
PyeongChang is running up against Munich, Germany, and Annecy, France. The South Korean town came up short in the last two bids, narrowly losing to Vancouver, Canada, and then Sochi, Russia.
PyeongChang's fate will be decided at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) General Assembly in Durban, South Africa, on July 6.



Cho, who is also chairman of the conglomerate Hanjin Group, told the audience that PyeongChang will not slow down.
"We've worked hard over the past year and a half (since PyeongChang became an official candidate) but the next 100 days will be more important," Cho said. "We will give everything we have to win over hearts of IOC members (who will vote on the candidates)."
Park, the KOC chief, said bringing the Winter Games to PyeongChang would also help promote winter sports in South Korea and the rest of Asia. PyeongChang officials have built their case on the lack of opportunity for Asia to host the Winter Olympics.
Asia has had only two Winter Games since they began in 1924, and both were in Japan.
Also Monday, PyeongChang reached an agreement with some of South Korea's leading restaurant chains and food service companies in order to help enhance the cultural experience for visitors to the otherwise tranquil town.
Under an initiative called "Best of Korea," PyeongChang inked a deal with 23 companies and 43 brands. The Olympic candidate city had signed a similar agreement with 16 firms and 80 brands in February.
"Other candidates have said PyeongChang is relatively a remote town and there's not much entertainment around," said Ha Do-bong, secretary general of the bidding committee. "But thanks to the participation of these companies, visitors will now be able to enjoy high-quality food and other forms of entertainment in the cozy town in the mountains."
jeeho@yna.co.kr