South Korean president: ‘My duty’ to secure 2018 Games Golf Tips

South Korean president: ‘My duty’ to secure 2018 Games

July 2, 2011, 7:11 pm

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Two days before the vote, the president of South Korea said Monday it was his “duty” to help Pyeongchang secure the 2018 Winter Olympics and create a new “mecca” for winter sports in Asia.

President Lee Myung-bak is in Durban to promote Pyeongchangs third consecutive bid for the games in a three-way competition with Munich and Annecy, France.

Pyeongchang, competing again after narrow defeats for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, is considered the one to beat as it seeks to become the first Asian city outside of Japan to host the Winter Games. Sapporo hosted the games in 1972; Nagano in 1998.

“We want as many people in Korea and Asia to enjoy winter sports,” Lee told a small group of international reporters. “I consider this my duty and my mission to deliver the games for Asia.”

The South Koreans have repeatedly stressed that their bid could open the Winter Olympics to a new market of 600 million young people in Asia. Lee said Europe and North America already have developed winter sports markets, and that Asia should now have its turn.

“If we do win, its not just about Korea or Pyeongchang,” the president said. “It is our aspiration to become a mecca for winter sports.”

The South Koreans are hoping that their persistence over 10 years of bidding will pay off this time when members of the International Olympic Committee vote by secret ballot on Wednesday.

“We worked very hard and we hope members of the IOC will recognize and appreciate the efforts we have made,” Lee said, speaking in Korean through an interpreter. “By hosting the games, we hope to spread the spirit of the Olympics beyond Pyeongchang – throughout Asia.”

Lee brushed off concerns about tensions with North Korea, saying South Korea had successfully hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with Japan without any security problems.

“To talk about a North Korean risk is quite unfounded,” he said. “We dont have anything to worry about in that regard.”

The Korean peninsula technically remains in a state of war because the Koreas three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953. The heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone runs straight through Gangwon, the province where Pyeongchang is located.

“If Pyeongchang wins the bid, people will be reminded of the importance of having stability and peace on the Korean peninsula,” Lee said.

Lee cited his governments extensive financial backing for the Olympic project, including $3 billion in investment for a high-speed rail link connecting Pyeongchang with the capital Seoul.

He declined to be drawn on the citys chances on Wednesday, but said he would do everything he could to assure the IOC of his governments unconditional support for the games.

Lee, the first political leader from the three bidding countries to come to Durban, has been rehearsing the speech he will deliver in the final presentation Wednesday just before the vote.

German President Christian Wulff will arrive Tuesday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is not traveling to South Africa, but is sending Prime Minister Francois Fillon.

Munich, bidding to become the first city to stage both the Summer and Winter Olympics, is considered the main challenger, with Annecy as the outsider.

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