Groundbreaking for ice rink to launch in Pyeongchang

Ground will be broken on Monday next week for a speed skating rink for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which is slated completion by January 2017. This milestone represents the launch of construction work for all of the six new facilities to be used at the Olympic games. Cho Yang-ho, chairman of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Organizing Committee, made the announcement on Monday in his first press meeting since his inauguration in July.

“Construction of the speed skating rink, for which groundbreaking has been delayed due to controversy over the need for redesigning, is set to begin on Monday next week after an urgent bid process,” Cho said. “We will closely cooperate with the Gangwon provincial government to ensure that a test event will take place in February 2017.”

There had been considerable debate involving the 8,000-seater speed skating rink, which is expected to cost 131.1 billion won (12.4 million U.S. dollars), whether to use as a water park after the end of the Olympics. However, the rink will be dismantled when the event ends as the Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry judges that such a facility is not practical due to abundance of similar facilities operating in nearby areas.

The organizing committee has confirmed its plan to hold the opening and closing ceremonies at the village of Hoenggye in Pyeongchang County in line with the original plan. It has decided to operate the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies by reducing its scale from 40,000 to 50,000 seats to less than 15,000 when the winter Olympic games finish.

On reinforcing human resources at the organizing committee, Chairman Cho said, “We are consulting with the government authorities over a plan to grant the committee the authority to evaluate government officials who are seconded to the committee. To secure professional human resources, we are taking steps to recruit technical manpower not only from overseas but also from domestic companies.”

Cho went on to say, “Successful hosting of the Pyeongchang Olympics is a major national agenda. We do not have time to fight each other and engage in emotional conflict. The government, the Gangwon provincial government, and the organizing committee will unite to step up preparations for the event.”

Meanwhile, the committee appointed on the day Lee Joon-ha, former secretary-general of the Korean Professional Football League, as vice chairman for operation at the Olympics committee, a position that had remained vacant. Teaming up with Vice Chairmen Kwan Yeong-jin and Kim Sang-pyo, Lee will take charge of marketing, competition management and media management affairs for the event.