Olympic Notes: PyeongChang Games Expected To Revitalize South Korean Tourism

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics "is anticipated to revitalize tourism in South Korea which was recently struck by a falling number of Chinese visitors," industry watchers said Friday. According to data compiled by the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, the event is "expected to generate production inducement effect" of 668.4B won ($583.6M) with an employment of 9,000, "lending support to various sectors in the tourism industry." The Games' organizing committee expects "some 83,000 foreign tourists to visit South Korea" (YONHAP, 10/6).

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizers and the IOC affirmed their intention to hold the baseball competition's first round in two groups of three teams each, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said Thursday. The committee will inform the World Baseball Softball Confederation "shortly in writing that the two-group format will be used," despite the governing body's "wish to hold a round-robin first round so that there will be more games played" (KYODO, 10/6).