S. Korea to compete with France, Germany to host 2018 Winter Olympics

SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean resort city of Pyeongchang will
compete with Germany's Munich and Annecy of France as it bids for the third time
to host the Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said
Friday.
The mountainous South Korean city located 180km east of Seoul lost to Canada's
Vancouver and the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi in its two previous attempts.

Seeking to become the third Asian city to host the world's largest winter sports
event, Pyeongchang renewed its attempt earlier this year when the South Korean
government endorsed its bid for the 2018 Games.
The IOC said Friday on its Web site that it is "pleased to announce that three
cities have been put forward by their respective National Olympic Committees."
The three cities will undergo a two-phase qualification procedure that will
conclude with the election of the host city at a convention in South Africa in
July 2011, the IOC said.
Earlier this month, Chang Ung, a North Korean IOC member, backed South Korea's
bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, calling for cooperation between the two
divided states.
South Korea hosted the Summer Games in Seoul in 1988.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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