All three cities bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games – Annecy, Munich and PyeongChang – made the shortlist Tuesday as announced by the International Olympic Committee.
Munich 2018 CEO Willy Bogner said, “we are delighted to have taken another step towards 2018. We have embarked on our journey of friendship. Over the next year we will build on our strong foundations and continue developing the enthusiasm for Munich 2018. We are ready and looking forward to the next stages of the bid process. We’d also like to congratulate our two friends and competitors, Annecy and PyeongChang”.
PyeongChang 2018 Chairman and CEO Yangho Cho said, “we are honoured that the IOC has selected us as a Candidate City and look forward to sharing our vision for the Games with the Olympic Family in the coming months. A lot of dedication and hard work has brought us here today but we realize that we all have a long way to go until Durban.
“We are determined to listen and learn and continue to improve our Games Plan and Bid Book submission. We understand that some issues have been raised by the IOC in their report but we also know that we have a strong team in place that will address each of these concerns.
Jinsun Kim, Governor of Gangwon province said the province will continue to push ahead with plans for expansion of critical transport and venue infrastructure and promote winter sports through its Dream Program.
Annecy CEO Edgar Grospiron said “it is foremost an honour and also a great pride to learn that the IOC has selected Annecy as a candidate city for the organization of the 2018 Games. The IOC considers that we have great potential to organize the 2018 Winter Olympics. Of course, we will immediately take into account the IOC’s recommendations concerning the general implantation of the venues”.
PyeongChang is making its third attempt to host the Winter Games following its loss to Vancouver for 2010 and Sochi in 2014.
Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics and is promoting its existing sports infrastructure in southern Germany, including the ski resort of Garmish Partenkirchen.
Its the first bid for Annecy, located in the French Alps. Annecy has the smallest budget of the three at $21 million, and is grouping a range of existing winter sports facilities in resorts in the area.
The three cities have until January 11 to submit their candidature files ahead of an on-site visit and a full evaluation by an IOC commission due to report back on June 6, a month before the host city is selected.
