An official from the International Olympic Committee said during a visit here last week the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang would not be shared with another city. Gunilla Lindberg, head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission, was quoted by the PyeongChang organizing committee as declaring that all scheduled events would be staged in South Korea as originally planned.
Her remark put an end to speculation that PyeongChang would be asked to share some competitions with a foreign city, probably in Japan. Last month, the IOC passed a reform package dubbed “Olympic Agenda 2020,” which included allowing an Olympic host city to stage some events in different countries in order to save costs. President Park Geun-hye and organizing committee officials have since voiced objection to the idea of sharing the PyeongChang Games with foreign cities.
In a joint news conference with Cho Yang-ho, president of the PyeongChang organizing committee, Lindberg confirmed the venue master plan had been finalized but sought clarification on how the venues would be utilized after the event. Her remark reflected what the IOC reform package is meant to pursue ― maximizing the legacy and minimizing the cost of an Olympic Games.
In this context, the PyeongChang organizing committee and Gangwon Province, where the host city is located, need to actively consider sharing competitions with other places in the country and scaling down the plans for constructing venues. Opinion polls conducted last year showed that more than half of Koreans were opposed to relocating competitions to another country as suggested by the IOC, but nearly 60 percent agreed to split events between PyeongChang and other domestic locations.
There have been mounting concerns over the heavy financial burden of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is estimated to cost nearly 13 trillion won ($11.9 billion). Officials at the organizing committee and the Gangwon provincial government have said they will work out measures to save costs and utilize venues after the Olympic Games. But their pledges are not assuring enough.
They should be more open-minded and positive toward the idea of using existing facilities in other local cities rather than asking for more financial support from the central government.
It is inefficient or unnecessary to build all the six new expensive venues, some of which will become virtually useless after the event. It would be more efficient and plausible to renovate ice rinks in Seoul and ski slopes in Muju, North Jeolla Province, for use during the 2018 Winter Olympics. It is just absurd to build a new ice rink only to be demolished later at about the same cost as planned by the organizing committee.
Furthermore, construction of the new venues began late last year, 2 1/2 years later than originally scheduled. This delay led Lindberg, the IOC official, to urge the organizing committee and its government partners to accelerate their work “in order to ensure the successful delivery of the venues and related services.”
If PyeongChang opts to share some competitions with other localities, central government officials will have to assume a more active role in coordinating the preparatory work and drawing more public attention to the first Winter Olympics to be hosted by the country. The event may also provide valuable momentum for further promoting local service sectors, including convention and tourism industries.
