Pyeongchang 2018 has no time to lose; won't move events

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Organizers of the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang have finalised their venue master plan but have no time to lose in their preparations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Friday. Gunilla Lindberg, chair of the IOC coordination committee for the Games, also confirmed that the local organizing committee POCOG and the government have rejected IOC suggestions to move the sliding events elsewhere for cost-cutting and sustainability reasons. The suggestions came after the IOC approved a reform package which includes allowing events to be held in different cities or countries. "The approval of the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations by the IOC created the opportunity for the Korean organisers to propose hosting sports or disciplines outside the host city in order to maximise legacies and minimise costs where feasible," Lindberg said in an IOC statement. "Since then, both POCOG and their Government partners have made it clear that they will maintain their current venue plan. As a result, the venue master plan is now finalised." Lindberg also urged POCOG to speed up its efforts after the IOC inspectors visited venue construction sites and met with politicians and the POCOG leadership of president Yang Ho Cho. "Timelines in a number of areas remain tight, including for test events, so POCOG and its partners must continue to accelerate their work and reorganisation in order to ensure the successful delivery of the venues and related services," Lindberg said.