South Korea's Pyeongchang Gets Best Overall Review Of 3 Bid Cities For 2014 Olympics

Monday, June 4th 2007, 8:23 am

By: News On 6

LONDON (AP) _ A month before the IOC vote, the South Korean city of Pyeongchang received the best overall review Monday in a report assessing the three bids for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Pyeongchang, which finished second to Vancouver in the race for the 2010 Games, got the most favorable ratings in a technical report by the International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission.

Sochi, Russia, and Salzburg, Austria, are the other candidates.

The report could play an important role in swaying undecided members when the full IOC general assembly selects the 2014 host city by secret ballot on July 4 in Guatemala City.

The 87-page report, based on visits to the three bid cities this winter by a panel of experts, assessed the candidates on a number of key issues, including sports venues, security, financing, accommodation, transportation and government and public support.

While the IOC did not rank the cities, the report identified strengths and weaknesses that could be used to differentiate them in overall terms.

The report listed no significant weaknesses in the bid from Pyeongchang, which focuses on expanding winter sports in Asia and fostering peace on the Korean peninsula.

The IOC warned that Sochi's major infrastructure plans would need to be ``tightly monitored,'' and cited Salzburg for lacking detail in its bid documents, offering some hotel rooms below IOC standards and underestimating security costs.

Pyeongchang also came out on top _ and Salzburg last _ in the IOC's public opinion survey. The Korean city had 91 percent who support the bid, compared to 79 percent in Sochi and 42 percent in Salzburg. Pyeongchang had 5 percent who oppose the bid, while Sochi had 14 percent and Salzburg 45 percent.

The report termed the sports venue concepts of Salzburg and Pyeongchang as ``excellent'' and Sochi's as ``very good.''

``We are delighted that the IOC evaluation commission has made such a favorable assessment of Pyeongchang's bid,'' bid chairman Han Seung-soo said. ``We are particularly pleased to see that the IOC's independent polling has shown such a high level of public support, demonstrating the tremendous enthusiasm for the Winter Games here in Korea.''

Salzburg, once considered the 2014 favorite, was cited for more shortcomings and challenges than Pyeongchang. The IOC didn't even mention the Austrian doping scandal that has threatened to undermine the bid.

Last month, the IOC fined the Austrian Olympic Committee $1 million for blood-doping violations among cross-country skiers and biathletes at the 2006 Turin Games. In April, the IOC imposed lifetime Olympic bans on six Austrian athletes involved in the affair.

Olympic host city votes can be highly unpredictable. The 115 IOC members often vote for personal reasons, with politics, geography and other intangibles playing a role.

Pyeongchang emerged out of virtually nowhere in 2003 to come within a few votes of upsetting Vancouver in the race for the 2010 Games.

Voting for Winter Olympic host cities can be particularly open, as many members have little knowledge or interest in snow and ice sports. The final presentations by the bid cities in Guatemala could prove crucial.

Pyeongchang was praised in the IOC report for ``very high quality'' presentations. Sochi got a ``high quality'' rating, while Salzburg was cited for documentation which ``sometimes lacked detail.''

Salzburg won points for using existing venues and facilities, which would cut down on the costs and environmental impact of preparing for the games. Seven of Salzburg's 11 planned venues already exist, and Austria has a long winter sports history and tradition.

However, the report said Salzburg had failed to meet requirements on some guarantees; its accommodation plans needed ``careful planning''; the transportation budget was ``on the low side''; security costs and resources were ``underestimated,'' and the overall $965 million operating budget was ``considered to be relatively low'' compared to previous winter games.

Salzburg Mayor Heinz Schaden said the report ``clearly establishes the quality and excellence of Salzburg's plans.'' However, he acknowledged that the IOC had singled out several areas of concern.

``We have been working on these areas since the visit and will continue to make improvements all the way to the final presentation in Guatemala City,'' he said.

Sochi, a Black Sea resort seeking to bring the winter games to Russia for the first time, must build most of its venues from scratch. It has strong support from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The IOC report said completing infrastructure projects linking the sea coast to the mountain venues ``is critical to the games and would require robust construction methods.''

``Construction would have to be tightly monitored in order to ensure timely delivery for the games, including test events,'' it said.

Herman Gref, Russia's minister of economic development, said the Olympic work was well under way and would be completed at least a year before the games.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov said the IOC report recognized Sochi's ``visionary and innovative'' plans and the public support of 115 million Russians.

``This exceeds all our expectations,'' he said at a news conference in Paris. ``This makes us extremely glad.''