(London) – Led by bid Chairman Yang-Ho Cho, PyeongChang 2018 presented to the SportAccord Audience Thursday with a fresh spin on their “New Horizons” Olympic bid theme.
Trying to mimic a successful model used by Rio de Janeiro to win the 2016 Olympic Games on a new continent – PyeongChang has been emphasizing opportunities for winter sport in new markets.
Earlier Thursday, Munich and Annecy based their selling points on tradition and existing and lucrative markets – a valid counter-proposition.
Theresa Rah, Director of Communications for the bid summed it up:
“New Horizons is focused on growth and potential,” she said.
“The argument really isn’t about new versus old; or traditional markets versus new markets, or even clever metaphors about groups and new horizons. No, the real decision is about maximizing the opportunity for winter sport for as many young people as possible wherever they may live.”
And she said she believes that only PyeongChang can offer that. The bid claims that a Games in Asia could impact as many as 650 million youth.
Korean IOC Member Dae Sung Moon said there are five reasons why PyeongChang should host the Games – the most compact plan; strong government support; passionate public support; promises that have been kept to the IOC and that “we will make a good partner for the IOC.”
PyeongChang’s sport ambassador and Olympic figure skating champion Yu-Na Kim was unable to attend as she prepares for the rescheduled figure skating World Championships in Moscow, but she was featured in a video that was used to explain the venue plan.
In the video, Kim said she wouldn’t have become a champion without the previous two PyeongChang bids that generated a winter sports training program allowing her to develop her skills.
Another video showed the existing venues, athletes and words and images from the general public help visualize the 93% local support the Korean bid enjoys.
Yang-Ho Cho said the bid has been a national priority for ten years and now it is an “historic Choice and historic chance for Olympic movement.”
“Korea has kept every promise we made.”
“We promise you memories to last a lifetime,” said Rah.
The bid introduced an NOC advisory program that would fund travel for NOC’s to visit PyeongChang during preparations and also an International Federation plan that promises similar subsidies.
To close the presentation, a final, youthful video portrayed modern Korea – what IOC members might expect from their 2018 experience.
From the closing applause in the room – that may have been the loudest of the day – it seemed the audience approved.
