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Sorry for the technical delays. Thanks so much to Paul for solving them. Now we have that sorted out, it’s time to vote. And to kick it off, it’s over to Yoshi!

PyeongChang 2018 volunteer application process ends with huge participation 4 October 2016 PyeongChang, October 4 – The PyeongChang 2018 volunteer application process came to a close amid huge participation on September 30. The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) began the volunteer recruitment process on July 1st and received applications worldwide for three months. With POCOG receiving 91,656 applications from 145 countries, up to 22,400 people will be chosen to become volunteers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Volunteers will take on a variety of roles across 7 areas (i.e., Games information, operational support, media, sport, protocol and languages, medical services, technology) in 17 categories. The most popular category was the language services (interpretation) where 8,131 people applied for 490 positions. Delegation services received the second most applicants with 14,978 for 1,030 positions. Female candidates outnumbered male applicants accounting for 78% of all candidates. In addition, 12,547 foreign applicants account for 14% with 2,890 from Russia, 1,345 from China, and 1,158 from the United States. The organizing committee will review all applications and conduct interviews in person at regional volunteer centers throughout the nation from October, 2016 to February, 2017. Language tests will be conducted for positions which require foreign language fluency - i.e., interpretation, protocol services. Successful candidates will go through a series of training sessions which include Games introduction and teamwork building (Mar. – Aug. 2017), leadership education (Sep. – Dec 2017), job specific education (Sep. – Mar. 2018), and on-the-job training (Jan. – Feb. 2018). POCOG President LEE Hee-beom said, “Volunteers will carry out a range of essential tasks, from medical care to language services. Therefore, PyeongChang 2018 depends on the volunteers to help make the Games a success. In order to select applicants who meet the requirements and who will bring passion and enthusiasm to the Games, the recruitment process will be transparent, open, and fair.”

South Korea has proposed that North Korea host some of the skiing events at next year’s Winter Olympics, in a move it hopes will ease cross-border political tensions. The South Korean sports minister, Do Jong-hwan, has also suggested forming an inter-Korean women’s ice hockey team to compete at the Games, which open in February in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang. Do cited North Korea’s “top-class” Masikryong ski resort as a potential venue and said he would discuss co-hosting with Jang Woong, North Korea’s delegate to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), according to South Korean media. His overture reflects a desire by South Korea’s new president, Moon Jae-in, for cautious engagement with Pyongyang, despite anger over the its recent missile launches and the death this week of the US university student Otto Warmbier after nearly 17 months in a North Korean prison. Moon suggested earlier this month that the two countries lead a north-east Asian bid to host the 2030 World Cup. North Korean involvement in the tournament would require huge investment in infrastructure, but Moon said: “If the neighbouring countries in north-east Asia, including North and South Korea, can host the World Cup together, it would help to create peace.” Do will raise the idea of moving some of the skiing events north of the border when he meets the International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, later this month, South Korean media said. North Korea’s footballers have made two appearances in the World Cup finals – notably in 1966, when they beat Italy 1-0 to reach the quarterfinal stage. The country’s athletes won seven medals, including two golds, at last summer’s Rio Olympics. But it has a poor track record in the Winter Olympics, having won just a silver and bronze medal in eight appearances. It did not take part at the Sochi Games in 2014. North Korean athletes have failed to qualify for any events at Pyeongchang, with the pairs figure-skating competition their only hope of representation if Do’s plans for a joint ice hockey team idea fall through. Do said he hoped North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics would make Pyeongchang a “peace Olympics”. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to thaw lingering tensions as we try to bring North Korea on board,” the Korea Herald quoted him as saying. The two Koreas have taken part in several sporting exchanges this year. Their women’s football teams played each other in Pyongyang in April, and their women’s hockey teams competed in South Korea. A North Korean taekwondo team will join South Korean athletes this weekend in a demonstration at the opening ceremony of the sport’s world championships in Muju, South Korea. Pyongyang boycotted the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympics, which were both held in Seoul, but has since taken part in international sports competitions south of the border, most recently the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. source: https://www.theguardian.com

Thanks Bjork to your tribute to GamesBids 2016, and the state of the logo comp. I guess you're also here in hopes of celebrating the winner, but we have the formalities to get through first. Welcome everyone to Curascant, home of the galactic senate and our safe refuge following our timely escape from Hoth. Before we announce the winner, I want to thank all who took part in this year's comp - the competitors as well as all the members who voted. The final round attracted 21 voters. Now, I do have some concerns with voters from both sides - IdiOtiC and dear leader Kim both had me pondering, even if they do fill the eligibility requirements. On the other hand, they do cancel each outrigger out, so I'll allow them... for now. None of this changes the result, though, which in the end was as close as it could get without forcing me to cast a tie-break vote. This means, that with a lead of 11 votes to second place 10, the winner, for the first time in the Logo comp, is woohooitsme83 and Oslo! Congrats woohoo - as I told you just recently, I've though for a while you were a real contender in these contests. Well done for proving me right. And commiserations to Anthony. So close! I thought you had it at this time yesterday. I'm so glad you entered and support these comps, and silver is not to be sneezed at. Both woohoo and Anthony are on the roster for the next round - Summer 2028. We're gonna have a short break and then gather tomorrow to launch that side of it... this time on Earth. Hopefully Thomas Bach will help us with the 2028 proceedings. Sep Blatter's also offered, but only if we can find a non-extraditable country to hold them in. See you all soon.

Which Countries have been confirmed as participants, and how many Athletes for the Countries?