Korea Olympic Council Head Promotes Winter Games Bid

Park Yong-sung, president of the Korean Olympic Council, returned home Thursday after visiting Punta del Este, Uruguay, where the first FINA World Aquatics Convention was held, San Paulo, Brazil, and Frankfurt, Germany.

He showed no sense of fatigue, however. Park is doing everything he can to help Pyeongchang County in Gangwon Province win the right to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Park is going any place where members of the International Olympic Committee gather. On the difficulty in visiting committee members abroad, he said, “I’ve been okay. After all, everything boils down to human networks. The best way to persuade IOC members is to get acquainted and build friendship with them.”

Park has to spend most of the second half of this year overseas. Beginning with the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees Oct. 20-24, he will participate in regional meetings through the end of the year.

“At the general assembly of the association, Pyeongchang, Munich, Germany, and Annecy, France, the three candidates for the 2018 Winter Olympics, will make presentations for the first time. Each candidate’s strategy will be made public. Ending the groundwork, all the three candidates will begin full-fledged competition,” he said.

Park stressed that the hosting of the Winter Olympics is crucial to developing sports in Korea.

“Winning gold medals not only in short track but also in speed and figure skating at the Vancouver Winter Olympics early this year was a great help,” he said. "Those who were sarcastic about Korea’s hosting of the Winter Olympics and said ‘A good performance in only short track cannot win the bid’ have grown silent.”

yjongk@donga.com