(ATR) The PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee (POCOG) is entering crunch time as the new year begins and time to get the South Korean city ready for the Games starts to dwindle.
POCOG will kick off 2017 with its third test event to examine how its venues hold up under competition conditions. The Alpine Far East Cup and President Cup 2017 is being hosted by the International Ski Federation (FIS) in conjunction with POCOG on Jan. 16-17 at the Yongpyong Alpine Centre.
The first test event of 2017 follows the FIS Snowboard World Cup from Nov. 25-26 and the International Skating Union Short Track World Cup from Dec. 16-18. These events at the Alpensia Ski Jump and the Gangneung Ice Arena were the first of 24 test events for organizers in the lead up to the Games.
The FIS Alpine FEC and President Cup event will be the only test event in January before the bulk of the competitions in February and March. The final test event will take place from April 11-19 as the best para-ice hockey athletes compete in the Gangneung 2017 World Para Ice Hockey Championships.
The test event schedule ramps up as organizers celebrate the one-year countdown until the Games on Feb. 9. POCOG president Hee Beom Lee says organizers are ready to move into the final stage of Olympic preparations.
"We've moved past the planning stage and entered the operational phase," Lee said. "We've successfully staged Olympic test events this year. We'll host a lot more next year, and we'll make sure they are successful too."
POCOG’s final preparations throughout 2017 could be overshadowed by the ongoing political controversy in the country. On Dec. 9, South Korea’s Parliament voted to impeach President Geun Hye Park for allegedly allowing her friend Soon Sil Choi to influence government decisions.
Park is still President in name until the country’s Constitutional Court decides to either dismiss the charges or back Parliament’s decision. Court officials say the decision will be made within six months and that hearings will begin next week. Prime Minister Kyo Ahn Hwang is the acting president until a decision is made on Park’s impeachment.
If her impeachment charges stand, South Korea must hold an election to replace Park within two months of the decision. Potential candidates to replace Park include former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki Moon, former Minister of Justice Jung Bae Chun and Seoul Mayor Won Soon Park.
POCOG will seek to establish a good rapport with whoever is in office at the end of 2017 and ensure support for the Olympic project. If Park’s impeachment charges hold up the country would be able to install a new president prior to the beginning of the Winter Games, avoiding the situation in Rio 2016 where acting Brazilian President Michel Temer opened the Games for the impeached Dilma Roussef.
The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 9 with the opening ceremony and conclude on Feb. 25.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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