2014 bid cities take note. If PyeongChang is selected host city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games it will have to thank a group of dedicated volunteers called “Dongsamo” (a Korean acronym meaning “people who love winter sports”).
The group has launched various promotional activities to help PyeongChang in its bid and has been playing a key role at home and abroad since the bid campaign started, reports the Korea Times.
Kim Jin-sun, governor of Gangwon Province where PyeongChang is located said, “over 100,000 Dongsamo members have carried out various promotional activities to help PyeongChang host the 2014 Games. We ask all Korean citizens to become active Dongsamo members”.
Dongsamo’s goal, according to the Korea Times, is to drum up awareness and support for PyeongChang through diverse means such as e-mails, online essays, a Web site, live events, local rallies and promotional booths at community and business fairs and sporting events.
Dongsamo was first organized in 2002 during PyeongChang’s bid for the 2010 Winter Games, which was awarded to Vancouver. The group was officially launched in Seoul in April 2003 with 5,570 members.
Dongsamo operates regional offices across the country where workshops are held and promotional and sporting events are organized as part of the group’s public relations activities.
The movement is also in many other countries, including the United States and Canada, transforming it into a worldwide support group for PyeongChang’s Olympic bid, reports the newspaper.
