At the end of its ninth and final visit to PyeongChang (29-31 august), the IOC Coordination Commission is very confident that the city is prepared to welcome the world to the XXIII Olympic Winter Games.

“Over the course of our three-day evaluation visit, PyeongChang’s readiness to host the Olympic Winter Games 2018 was highlighted,” said IOC Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg. “We saw first-hand the advances that have been made on venues and infrastructure, as well as heard updates on plans to further engage with Olympic fans. While details must continue to be refined in the coming months, it was evident that the Organising Committee is well on its way to delivering successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

The press release noted that with all permanent venues complete or nearing completion, in addition to focusing on operational readiness, PyeongChang 2018 will now ramp up its promotional activities, with the second phase of ticket sales starting next week, and the Olympic Torch Relay set to begin in just over two months. Both of these important programmes are expected to heighten media and public attention for the Games, while rights-holders’ and partners’ campaigns showcasing the Games will also start to get underway.

The President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee, Lee Hee-beom, commented, “We are now just 162 days away from the start of the Olympic Winter Games and working to put the important finishing touches to the Games. We are listening, and we are responding to all of our stakeholders and taking all the feedback and advice from the sessions this week. We want to make these the best Winter Games ever and showcase Korea to the world as a global leader in sports and as the new hub for winter sports in Asia.”

The Olympic passion was on display at the start of the Commission’s visit at the Gangneung Olympic Park, as the delegation was joined by students from nearby Gangneung Haeram Middle School on the final stop of a venue tour. The young fans represent just a fraction of the thousands of students who have been learning about both Olympic sport and its ideals via PyeongChang’s education programme.

The Commission also visited the Gangneung Olympic Village, which will house approximately 1,000 athletes during Games time,  and  the new high-speed train station at Jinbu that after the Games will connect Seoul to the Alpensia mountain region and Gangneung coastal areas.

Representatives of four National Olympic Committees, all seven Olympic Winter International Federations, the TOP partners and Korean government officials were also on site during the Coordination Commission visit to provide their feedback, helping to ensure the Olympic Winter Games offer spectators and athletes the best environment possible.