PyeongChang Main Press Centre opens
The Main Press Centre (MPC) for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang opened on Tuesday 9 January, exactly one month before the start of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.
Situated in the Alpensia resort, the MPC will be home to more than 2,900 accredited media from all over the world during the Games. Initially it will open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., as organisations gather for PyeongChang in the coming weeks and set up their facilities.
The centre will then open 24 hours from 30 January through to 26 February, providing media representatives with a safe, warm and fully serviced environment in which they can meet their deadlines and share their stories around the world.
The complex consists of three buildings in all, two of which are existing buildings: the Alpensia Convention Hall and the Alpensia Concert Hall, which house MPC 1 and MPC 2 respectively.
The three-floor MPC 1 is the biggest facility of the three and is home to press and photographers' rooms, three press conference rooms, a main help desk, news desk, photo service centre, lounge areas and a catering facility.
The main press conference room, which can accommodate up to 500 people, is found at MPC 2.
A temporary structure situated just behind the Convention Centre, MPC 3 comprises 33 media offices and offices for nine NOCs and the Organising Committees of future Olympic Games. It also houses the IOC media office, IOC ticketing desk, a rate card office, media lounge, and a coffee and snack outlet.
Speaking at the opening of the complex, Lee Hee-beom, the President of the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG), said: "With one month to go until the Opening Ceremony, we are delighted to open the Main Press Centre today and we are ready to welcome the world's media as they start to join us over the coming weeks.
"International and local media are very important to the success of PyeongChang. They tell the stories of the Games to the world and celebrate their Olympic and Paralympic heroes for all to see. Across their channels they help us reach new audiences, using both words and images to convey all the action and excitement of PyeongChang to the world. We thank them for their support and hope they will all feel at home at the MPC."
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which was handed over to Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) in June 2017, also officially opened its doors on Tuesday. Located across from the MPC, it will accommodate more than 50 broadcasting companies and over 8,000 personnel over the course of the Games.