PyeongChang prepares to welcome the world
With just over 160 days until the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, all systems are pointing towards ready.
On the first day of the final Coordination Commission visit to PyeongChang, a mixture of Coordination Commission members, International Federation and National Olympic Committee representatives and TOP partners visited three key settings for the Games. As construction nears completion at each site, attention has turned to fine-tuning details to ensure that athletes and spectators alike enjoy phenomenal experiences in PyeongChang.
Included on the tour was a stop at the Gangneung Olympic Park, which will be bustling with Olympic fever come February. The Olympic Park will see several sports contested across five venues - the Gangneung Hockey Centre, OvaI, Ice Arena, Curling Centre, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre.
One of two Olympic Parks, the Gangneung hub will also feature live sites where fans can come together to cheer their favourite athletes on to glory, as well as browse specialised gear from Olympic partners.
Although just over five months remain until the kick-off of the Olympic Winter Games, the Olympic passion was already on display at the Gangneung Olympic Park, as the delegation was joined by students from nearby Gangneung Haeram Middle School.
The young fans have been learning about both Olympic sport and its ideals thanks to PyeongChang’s education engagement programme. They were on hand to help the Coordination Commission construct a welcome gift that Olympic Winter athletes and accredited media will receive when they check into their respective villages.
Because of the uniquely compact cluster of venues, the Coordination Commission also visited the Gangneung Olympic Village, which is just a short trip from the ice venues. The close proximity of athletes to their competitions will provide them with a top-notch Olympic Winter experience.
One of two Olympic Villages on offer to athletes, the Gangneung Olympic Village will provide more than 2,700 beds and over 900 units. The apartments also represent an important legacy of the Olympic Winter Games, with all the units already sold for residential use after the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
The Coordination Commission members stopped off at another important legacy site when they saw the new high-speed train at Jinbu Station. Not only does the train serve as an additional transport option for those coming from Seoul for the Games, it will also connect Seoul to the Alpensia mountain region and Gangneung coastal areas for decades to come.