The main theme of Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic bid is the “Sea-To-Sky” concept, an Olympic Games that features both mountains and oceanfront.
Jack Poole, Vancouver’s Bid CEO yesterday told media “in Europe you’re driving through manicured farmlands and property, here you’re driving through wilderness. It’s one of our attractions. We think Sea-to-Sky is one of our selling features.”
But Poole, along with much of the North American media, has been squarely focused on Salzburg while overlooking the competition from South Korea. Pyeongchang offers nature, beautiful scenery and a “Sea-To-Sky” Games of their own.
Last week Kang-Ro Yoon, Co-Secretary General of Pyeongchang 2010 and former member of the 2008 IOC Evaluation Commission told GamesBids.com that the Korean bid offers “breakfast by the sea at their Olympic Village and skiing just a short drive away”.
He referred to Oceanside Gangneung City which is slated to host speed skating, figure skating and short-track skating along with the Olympic Village – and Jungbon where the downhill ski event will be hosted 78km away by road or rail. The Athletes will stay just a few kilometers from scenic Gyeongpodae Beach, a major attraction in the warmer months. Dragon Peak – a short gondola ride from YongPyong resort where the slalom events would be held – offers a stellar view of the Baekdu Mountain Range set against the backdrop of the East Sea.
Like Vancouver, Pyeongchang has also planned to upgrade the connecting roads and has secured US$3.2 billion to fund the work. Korean expressways often efficiently tunnel through mountains instead of winding around them.
While the Pyeongchang bid talks about the province’s “Hidden Treasure” and their goal of “Purity and Peace For All”, it seems to have overlooked the appeal of the sea and the mountains rolled into one Olympic Games. Perhaps Vancouver came up with the term “Sea-To-Sky” first.
