On the first day of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) evaluation commission’s inspection of Pyeongchang 2010, the commission was briefed on 10 of the total 18 themes the inspectors will cover during their four-day field survey, including the regional characteristics of the bid city, the Paralympic Games, transportation, sports venues and accommodation.
Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the IOC team, said in his opening speech, “we felt a very warm welcome when we arrived. We felt the enthusiasm and the support of people here”.
He also said he was impressed with how their hosts in Pyeongchang paid attention to even minor details, another aspect the Olympics depend upon for their success.
Following the morning session, Park Se-hoon, director in charge of preparations for the IOC Evaluation said the presentations were conducted in “a very good atmosphere”.
“The members were very satisfied with the level of our presentations, describing them as very well planned and using the word ‘excellent’ many times” he said.
On day two the inspectors will visit various Olympic sites scattered around the city such as the planned venue for events such as ski jumping, biathlon and curling, and the site of the future Main Olympic Village.
The group will visit the cities of Gangneung, site of skating, and Wonju, the venue for ice hockey.
In the evening the group will take part in local festivities and events in Pyeongchang and nearby areas.
The inspectors will complete the presentations and site visits on Sunday and Monday when they will officially end the visit with a news conference.
