POCOG has been selling between 7,000 and 10,000 tickets for the Games on a daily basisGETTY IMAGES
POCOG President Lee Hee-beom said that he is "confident of a sellout" for the Pyeongchang Games, after 826,000 tickets had been sold as of yesterday -- 77.3% of the total available, according to YONHAP NEWS. Hee-beom said, "Compared to previous Olympics, the sales rate isn't too bad. On Monday alone, we sold 7,600 tickets. We've been selling between 7,000 and 10,000 tickets on a daily basis. At this pace, I am confident we can have full houses" (YONHAP NEWS, 2/6).
READY TO GO: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes there has been "more conversation about the weather than North Korea" in the days before the Games. Those who have "already arrived for the Olympics are worried more about the frigid temperatures, especially for the opening ceremony and other outdoor events, than South Korea’s unpredictable neighbor." The host city for the Olympics is a "step back in time" and "can be disarming." People "arrive at the Main Press Center expecting a fortress cordoned off by acres of fencing and guarded by hundreds of well-armed security officers." Brennan: "There is security, to be sure, but the foreboding perimeter that has become a staple at every recent Olympics -- the fencing that required walks of 20-30 minutes just to find a way in -- is missing. In three days here, I still have not seen a gun" (USA TODAY, 2/6).
BROKEN SYSTEM? The AP's Stephen Wade noted IOC President Thomas Bach today "faced a barrage of criticism -- and entrenched support -- from roughly" 100 IOC members "over the decision to exclude many Russian athletes" from Pyeongchang. Two IOC members -- Dick Pound and Gerardo Werthein -- "got into a nasty exchange on the floor of the spacious meeting room, rare in the genteel traditions of the Olympic body." Pound said, "I believe that in the collective mind of a significant portion of the world, and among the athletes of the world, the IOC has not only failed to protect athletes, but has made it possible for cheating athletes to prevail against the clean athletes." He added that the IOC's world is a "comfortable cocoon." Werthein "jumped in, siding with Bach and going directly after Pound with the other 100 members listening." Werthein said, "For some reason if Mr. Pound doesn't agree, then it's wrong. We have to understand that this is not Mr. Pound's organization. But this is the IOC. ... He makes statements that create an environment of doubt. In one way it discredits the work that is being done in the IOC." Pound responded, "The fact I have a different opinion from others ... does not mean I am not entitled to the opinion. I think it's very unfortunate in a collegial gathering like this to suggest that I am not entitled to give that opinion" (AP, 2/6). In Toronto, Bruce Arhtur writes under the header, "Having Russia At The Olympics Shows The System Is Broken" (TORONTO STAR, 2/6).
