Korea had about seven years to prepare,... but making sure everything is just right for
an event as enormous as the Olympics is no easy task.
With less than 100 days to go before the Games kick off,... is PyeongChang ready to welcome
the world?
Cha Sang-mi reports.
2011,...
South Korea's PyeongChang was named the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
And since then, the Korean government has been busy working to transform the mountainous
county of PyeongChang into an Asian sports hub.
After unceasing efforts, the region is now almost ready to welcome its Olympic guests.
(KOREAN - ed: steve) "The construction of competition and non-competition
venues is 99 percent complete.
We plan to do our best to complete the venues during the remaining hundred days."
The Games are held in two different areas: snow sports such as ski jumping and the biathlon
will be held at the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster, and the ice sports such as curling and ice
hockey will take place at the Gangneung Coastal Cluster.
Altogether, the twelve competition venues and non-competition sites make up the "Winter
sports belt".
Here's a look at some of the major competition venues:
The Gangneung Hockey Center has a capacity of 10-thousand-and-9, with nearly one-hundred-and-50
handicapped seats.
(Stand-up) “The closest seats are just 1-point-6 meters
from the rink, allowing the audience to even hear the sound of the players breathing.”
Some good news for the athletes.
The supplementary stadium is just 18 meters away from the venue, and twelve locker rooms
allow participants to get enough rest, even on days with a full games schedule.
The Alpensia Ski Jumping Center is where fans will see the mesmerizing sight of athletes
souring through the air.
The venue has been carefully thought-out to help the skiers prepare for their jumps.
(KOREAN ed: steve) "Our venue has an athlete-centered design.
It takes just 10 minutes to get here from the Athlete Village, and the routes are very
compact, so they can focus on the Games."
The Olympics organizing committee manager says they have prepared extra snow in case
there's a thaw due to warm weather, and they've set up a large wind net to help shelter the
athletes from the effects of the wind.
And now to some of the non-competition venues...
The Olympic Plaza will serve as a gathering place for the opening and closing ceremonies.
In the center of the plaza is the cauldron -- the symbol of the Olympics -- which will
be lit during the opening ceremony.
(ENGLISH) "The stadium is made out of 35,000 seats and
you can see that there are several storeys here.
It was completed in the end of September.
It's a great environment to hold the ceremonies."
So where are the participants staying during the month-long games?
(Stand-up) "This is Gangneung Athlete Village, a temporary
home for some 2,700 athletes and organizers involved in the Winter Olympics."
The Village consists of two main sections - the residential buildings and an operational
section, which includes a doctor's clinic, a bank, and a shopping center.
The nine 22-to-25-storey buildings make up some 900 housing units, and four to five participants
will be sharing each unit.
(KOREAN - ed: steve) "The buildings are built with state-of-the-art
technology.
Firefighting, heating, and water supply systems are perfectly arranged.
It provides a pleasant residential environment for the participants."
When it comes to the post-games plans for these venues, the Olympics Organizing Committee
expresses their hope to leave them as a legacy for the region,... packed with tourists throughout
the four seasons.
(KOREAN - ed: steve) "It would be a big gain if we could provide
health and healing experiences, making use of the legacy of the games to connect the
resources and landmarks that Gangwon-do Province has."
Just the final touches need putting in place,... and in around 100 days, these venues will
be packed with fans cheering on their Olympic heroes.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News, PyeongChang.