PyeongChang wins bid to host 2018 Winter Olympics
It has been revealed that South Korea’s PyeongChang will have the honours of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics. The decision was made by the members of International Olympic Committee (IOC) present in Durban, South Africa during a secret ballot on July 6th.
PyeongChang was selected as the host city by a clear majority obtained in the first round of the voting. At least 48 votes were needed by any city to seal a win and PyeongChang secured a whopping 63. It’s two other rivals, Munich as well as Annecy, could
gather 25 and seven votes respectively. The decision and the voting process brought to an end the 123rd IOC session.
Jacques Rogge, the President of the IOC, made the following congratulatory statements upon the selection of Pyeonchang as the host city: “PyeongChang presented a strong and inspiring project that enjoys massive support from the government and the public.
I have every confidence that PyeongChang will deliver on its commitment and host excellent Games in 2018. PyeongChang’s inspiring project sets out to have the heart of the Olympic Winter Games beating in the mountain.”
It was the third time that PyeongChang was taking part in a bid to host the Olympic Games and was the favourite candidate in the running. Munich was trialing close behind while Annecy was considered to be the underdog. PyeongChang’s first bid was for the
2010 Olympics while the second one was made for the 2014 Olympic Games. For the 2010 bid, PyeongChang stood runners up to Vancouver, Canada while it was a close call losing to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 bid.
PyeongChang’s bid revolved around the concept of exploring new markets for the Olympic Games that would help develop the winter sports in regions where there is a lot of potential for growth. Other than that, the venues for the events in PyeongChang are
located but within 30 minutes of each other.
PyeongChang’s win has brought back the Olympic Games to the Asian continent after a long time. The last time that they were held in Asia was way back in 1998, when the city of Nagano, Japan played host.
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