Pyeongchang to come third time lucky with two bosses (News Feature)

By Dirk Godder Jul 8, 2009, 2:04 GMT

Seoul - Pyeongchang is putting the finishing touches on its latest bid as the South Korean resort aims to make it third time lucky by hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics.

After narrowly losing out for 2010 and 2014, Pyeongchang hopes to get the better of Munich, Annecy and possible other rivals when the International Olympic Committee elects the host city in 2011 in Durban, South Africa.

The new bid is to be spearheaded by a powerful co-chairman leadership consisting of local governor Kim Jin-Su and influential businessman Cho Yang-Ho.

'The bid committee will be ready by late July or early August,' said the sports committee of the Kangwon province on Tuesday.

Cho, 60, is chairman of the Hanjin Group, one of the biggest industrial conglomerates in the country which includes Hanjin Shipping and national carrier Korean Air.

Kim, 62, has governed over the Kangwon province since 1998 and has been re-elected twice. He was also involved in Pyeongchang's two previous bids as well.

Both are rated sports experts, and the Korea Herald reported last week that Cho was part of a South Korean delegation at a meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Cho and the other Korean members told the Asian delegates and members of the IOC of the potential of Pyeongchang as Olympic host.

Unlike Sochi 2014, the Olympic infrastructure is all but complete in the resort some 180 kilometres east of Seoul. Pyeongchang has staged various wintersport events in recent years, including the 2009 biathlon world championships.

The double leadership will be a key factor in the new bid.

It was decided by the nation's sports ministry, with the South Korean Olympic Committee hoping for more synergy than at previous bids which were headed by one person.

International relationships and sports knowledge were other factors in the choice. Cho is the head of South Korea's table tennis federation since last year.

'We have looked for someone who has international networks, as well as an understanding of sports,' the Korea Times last week quoted a sports ministry official as saying.

The South Korean Olympic Committee gave its approval for Pyeongchang's latest bid in April, the national government followed in June, and operations will start in earnest as soon as the bid committee headed by the co-chairmen is inaugurated.

Kim is upbeat that Pyeongchang will finally strike it lucky after losing by three votes to Vancouver 2010 and by four to Sochi 2014.

'Now we will win the hearts of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissioners. We have experience. We will contact them man-to-man,' the Korea Times quoted him as saying.