PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation opens its doors

The PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation was established by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and Gangwon province authorities with the surplus gained from the success of last year’s Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. The Foundation will focus on sports-related activities for young people and the development of winter sport, as well as managing three venues used during the Games – the Alpensia Sliding Centre, Gangneung Hockey Centre and Gangneung Oval.

The Foundation recently named Ryu Seung-min, IOC Member in the Republic of Korea, as its President at its inaugural general assembly on 25 March, and it now has a 15-member board that will oversee management and operations from its offices located within the former PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee headquarters.

“I am pleased to be moving forward with our plans to ensure that the legacy of PyeongChang 2018 continues,” said Ryu Seung-min. “We are committed to continuing sports development programmes and ensuring that everyone in Korea remembers the successes of these Games.”

The Foundation recently honoured speedskaters from South Korea and Japan with an award for exemplifying the Olympic spirit during the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Lee Sang-hwa from South Korea and Nao Kodaira from Japan, rivals in speedskating for over a decade, competed at the 2018 Games, with Nao narrowly taking the gold over Lee. The two skaters shared an emotional hug immediately after the race, with fans enthusiastically taking to social media complimenting the outstanding sportsmanship of the two athletes.

In addition to the development of the Foundation, legacy plans were recently confirmed for two venues used during PyeongChang 2018. The International Broadcast Centre will be remodelled into a national archive for the National Library of Korea, and the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee headquarters will be used as a winter sports training centre.