The new head of South Korea's 2018 Winter Olympics promised Friday to deliver the Games on schedule and secure 90 percent of sponsorship this year despite a bumpy build-up so far. "We have financial challenges and the schedule is tight, however we shall be able to overcome this," former trade minister Lee Hee-Beom told reporters in Seoul.
It was Lee's first press conference since he was appointed head of the Pyeongchang organising committee last week following the sudden departure of his predecessor, tycoon Cho Yang-Ho, less than two years before the Games begin. Cho, who stepped down to focus on his ailing shipping business, had been widely credited with rescuing a preparatory process that was mired in construction delays and funding shortfalls.
Lee, 67, said he was confident the venues would be completed on time and on budget. "Of course we are not totally satisfied with the progress, but I don't think there is anything to be disappointed about either," he said. "By the end of this year we will be able to meet the target of achieving 90 percent of our targeted sponsorship revenue," he added.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) picked Pyeongchang as the host in 2011, favouring it over Munich in Germany and the French Alpine town of Annecy. The first test events held in February were largely successful, although IOC Co-ordination Commission chair Gunilla Lindberg said much remained to be done ahead of the next round in December.
Comments
Comments are closed.