Pyeongchang appear favourites as IOC publishes evaluation report

May 10, 2011, 8:56 GMT

Lausanne, Switzerland - Pyeongchang appeared to be the frontrunner to host the 2018 Winter Olympics as the International Olympic Committee published its evaluation commission report of the three bidding cities on Tuesday.

The South Korean resort of Pyeongchang is bidding for the third time, against German city Munich and the French resort of Annecy.

While the commission noted that 'all three Candidate Cities could successfully host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, with each city offering its own distinct vision and concept ... though the very nature of each project presents different risks.'

The IOC acknowledged that all three bidders are 'low risk' as far as safety and security are concerned while Pyeongchang have the biggest public support and should have the smoothest transition of the three from a bid to an organizing committee if elected.

The IOC said that Pyeongchang's compact venue and accommodation concept allowed for short travel times for athletes, officials, the media and spectators. While noting impact on forests, environmental concerns would be met by tree-planting measures.

The evaluation commission visited all three bidders in February and March. The report is a technical analysis and does rank the candidates.

The IOC elects the host city in a secret ballot on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

All three bidders will hold a technical presentation next week at the IOC headquarters and the final presentation before the IOC Session comes on election day.

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