IOC official Gian Franco Kasper said that the organization has no "plan B" to move the 2018 Winter Olympics from PyeongChang, according to the AFP. PyeongChang is 80km (50 miles) from the border with North Korea, whose recent nuclear test and a string of missile tests have led to tensions within the int'l community. There are "fears some athletes may boycott the Games due to safety fears." Kasper said, "In the IOC and in the executive committee, no plan B has been discussed so far. In personal conversations, it is certainly a topic and I have read that Sochi or Munich come into play, but I think it would be wrong now to arrange a plan B" (AFP, 9/8).
'SPORTS ARE SPORTS': YONHAP's Joo Kyung-don reported PyeongChang Organizing Committee Chair Lee Hee-beom said that he "believes North Korea will participate in both the Olympics and Paralympics south of the border next year despite its continued provocations." Lee said, "Sports are sports, and we should not confuse sports with politics. North Korea will participate. There are some signs (of North Korea's participation)" (YONHAP, 9/8).
ALL HANDS ON DECK: YONHAP reported South Korea has been training more than 2,300 doctors, nurses, physical therapists and other medical staff "on foreign languages, sports psychology counseling and even skiing as they get ready to provide expert care at next year's PyeongChang Winter Olympics," organizers said Sunday. A dozen venues in PyeongChang and its sub-host cities of Gangneung and Jeongseon will stage seven sports across 15 disciplines. Wonju Severance Christian Hospital General Dir Lee Young-hee said, "We will begin a simulation training next month so we can better serve Olympians in an emergency." Lee said that his team has been "analyzing statistics on injuries that took place at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics," noting the data revealed snowboard, freestyle and alpine skiing and ice hockey "involved the most frequent incidents" (YONHAP, 9/10).
