An official from the IOC said Friday that the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang "will not be split with another city, putting an end to speculation that the South Korean host would be asked to co-host the event in a cost-saving step," according to YONHAP.
Gunilla Lindberg, head of the IOC Coordination Commission on PyeongChang, declared that "all scheduled events will be staged in South Korea as originally planned."
Lindberg, in PyeongChang this week for the IOC's Project Review on PyeongChang's preparation, said that the South Korean host "will have the Olympics to itself." Lindberg:
"The approval of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations by the IOC created the opportunity for the Korean organizers to propose hosting sports or disciplines outside of the host city in order to maximize legacies and minimize costs where feasible. Since then, both (the organizing committee) and its government partners have made it clear that they will maintain their current venue plan. As a result, the venue masterplan is now finalized" (YONHAP, 1/16). In Seoul, Nam Hyun-woo reported the lingering controversy over sharing some events with other cities "was apparently put to rest." Lindberg said that the organizers "have carried out the preparations in a sound way thus far." Last month, the IOC "unanimously approved IOC President Thomas Bach's reform package, which allows staging some Olympic events outside of the host city." The IOC suggested at the time that sliding events "could be held in overseas venues, such as Japan's Nagano." Also, possibilities of sharing some events in other cities "were raised" (KOREA TIMES, 1/16).
