SAPPORO, Japan (AP) – Lee Hee-beom, the head of the Pyeongchang organizing committee, expects the 2018 Olympics to usher in a new era for winter sports in Asia.
While the region has traditionally lagged behind North America and Europe in terms of winter sports competition, staging the next two Winter Olympics in Asia would significantly shift the balance, Lee said.
“With Pyongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022, winter sports will move from Europe and North American to Asia,” said Lee who is attending the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo. “We will have more sports fans among Asians because of Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022.”
The Pyeongchang Games will mark the second time the Olympics have been staged in South Korea, which hosted the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul.
Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the 12 competition venues in Pyeongchang and Gangneung, including six new facilities that organizers say are about 96 percent complete on average.