Pyeongchang bid pledges to respect IOC rules (Roundup)

Nov 4, 2010, 18:04 GMT

Seoul - South Korean officials pledged on Thursday to respect Olympic ethics rules after receiving a warning from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the previous day around Pyeongchang's bid for the 2018 Winter Games.

'Pyeongchang 2018 has always been and continues to remain committed to complying with all IOC rules and regulations,' the bid committee said in a statement.

Pyeongchang bid chief Cho Yang Ho also adressed the IOC ethics commission in an e-mail, pledging to work according to the rules.

The ethics committee issued the warning in connection with sponsorship deals of two South Korean companies with sports federations headed by IOC members, rowing federation chief Denis Oswald and skating boss Ottavio Cinquanta.

The IOC members elect the 2018 host city on July 6, 2011 in Durban, with Munich and the French resort of Annecy the rivals of Pyeongchang.

International Rowing Federation (FISA) president Oswald, who is a member of the IOC Executive Committee and president of sports federations competing in the Summer Olympics, intends abstaining from the vote in South Africa following the warning.

FISA has a deal with electronics giants Samsung but the IOC stated that this separate two-year deal did not break the rules.

According to IOC rules, a TOP sponsor can not be involved in the bid process for a Olympic Games. Samsung is one of the 11 TOP sponsors.

National carrier Korean Air, meanwhile, has agreed to delay its deal with the International Skating Union (ISU) until after the host city election to avoid any possible misunderstandings.

ISU president Cinquanta has a vote in Durban next year due to the fact he held the post of chairman of the winter sports federations in the IOC Executive Committee from 2000 to 2008.

'I wasn't acting as an IOC member in this deal but as ISU president. The marketing rights we granted belong to the ISU and not Mr Cinquanta,' the Italian explained.

'We believe that this matter is now closed and we can all move forward into the next phase of the 2018 bid campaign,' said the bid committee.

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