President Bach confident of PyeongChang success
IOC President Thomas Bach was in the South Korean capital Seoul on Tuesday as he heads for PyeongChang. The Korean ski resort will play host to the Olympic Winter Games in less than a year.
In Seoul, President Bach met with the Prime Minister and acting President of the Republic of Korea, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and with the speaker of the Korean National Assembly, Chung Sye-kyun.
With both leaders, the President discussed the upcoming Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang. Given the domestic political differences, they all agreed that the Olympic Games are a great opportunity to bring all the South Korean people together and can unite them again behind the Olympic Games and their athletes, after the deep political crisis which is currently dividing the population.
I trust Korea and I trust Koreans 100 per cent
President Bach expressed his confidence in the success of the Olympic Winter Games, following a busy schedule of test events in PyeongChang this season. "I trust Korea and I trust Koreans 100 per cent," he said.
He also met with the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Before travelling on to the IOC Executive Board meeting in PyeongChang, President Bach received an honorary doctorate from the Korea National Sport University. Speaking in front of an audience that included several Korean Olympic champions, President Bach praised the important role the country’s only national sport university has played in Korean Olympic history. He also highlighted the power of sport to bring people together and emphasised that the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang are coming at an important time for the country.