[UPDATES] Winter Olympic organizer appeals for public support

By Park Sae-jin Posted : November 25, 2016, 17:24 Updated : November 25, 2016, 17:24

A snowboarder tries a big air jump in South Korea's eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang. [Yonhap Photo]


Test events for the 2018 Winter Olympics began this week in South Korea's eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang amid poor publicity as the show was stolen by an overwhelming political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye.

Top organizer Lee Hee-beom appealed for public support, saying Pyeongchang has become the victim of a negative campaign by online users.

"Pyeongchang was not the hotbed of corruption but just a target," he told reporters, insisting his organizing committee had never been implicated in any dirty or suspicious deals.

"I believe the Olympic Games have already started off today," Lee said. "It's time for everybody to pull together for our successful Olympics."

Lee's appeal came as Pyeongchang hosted the first test event at the ski jumping center in Alpensia, the main Winter Olympic venue, focusing on the first big air competition among top snowboarders such as Canada's Mark McMorris and Roope Tonteri of Finland.

The two-day show organized by the FIS Snowboard World Cup features 95 athletes from 23 countries. Big air will make its Olympic debut in 2018.
 

A snowboarder performs air tricks during a big air jump rehearsal in South Korea's eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang. [Yonhap Photo]


As a rehearsal for the 2018 Games, Pyeongchang should host a series of test events involving thousands of athletes and delegates from 90 countries who would try and inspect Olympic venues, preparations, and facilities.

The Korea Economic Research Institute, a private think-tank, predicted in an earlier report that the 2018 Games could generate up to 21.1 trillion won (17.8 billion US dollars) in investment and spending, with their overall economic impact expected to reach 32.2 trillion won over a 10-year period.

The biggest challenge facing Pyeongchang is how to promote the Games across the world, the IOC's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang, headed by Gunilla Lindberg, said last month.

"The test events will be a great opportunity to raise awareness and generate excitement for Pyeongchang 2018 and to showcase the level of preparation," Lindberg said. "The biggest challenge at the moment is how to promote the Games over the world because this is a small place."

On Thursday, Lee called for aggressive corporate support, saying Pyeongchang hopes to attract some 390,000 foreigners in 2018 and raise more than 940 billion won in donations.
 

Foreign delegates watch a big air jump trick in South Korea's eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang. [Yonhap Photo]


This week's test event, however, is only of marginal interest to many South Koreans because of a scandal triggered by Park's long-time friend, Choi Soon-sil, accused of meddling in state affairs and collecting illegal corporate donations.

For weeks, there have been huge street protests calling for Park's resignation, and organizers vowed to set a new record on Saturday with a fresh candle-lit rally involving more 1.5 million people near the presidential mansion.

The scandal has raised concerns about the delayed construction of some Olympic-related facilities and the lack of funds for Pyeongchang which has already delayed the start of ticket sales from this month to February next year.

Prosecutors have grilled Cho Yang-ho over allegations that he was forced to resign in May as chief organizer of the 2018 Games for his refusal to place a construction order with a Swiss builder which allegedly had ties with a shell company controlled by Choi.

Choi's relatives and associates are suspected of getting involved illegally in a number of sports and cultural projects.

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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