PyeongChang - all the way

[BABYLON]

And, yeah. An arena which actually serves more of a purpose as a winter sports facility might be nice, as well.

Agree, It's the Winter Olympics so they must have a winter sport facility for the Opening and Closing.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of Turin 2006 will take place in Stadio Comunale di Torino. I think this is a football facility  :Oo:

[hektor]

Well, the last time it was in a real winter sport arena was 1994, no ? and before that... ? 1976 ?

2002 with Rice Eccles and 2010 with BC place are not real winter sport stuff...

[SOlympiadsW]

Well, the last time it was in a real winter sport arena was 1994, no ? and before that... ? 1976 ?

2002 with Rice Eccles and 2010 with BC place are not real winter sport stuff...

one thing that I really like about the WOG are the stadiums they use for the OC and CC.....

SLC 2002's, although a football stadium, was really awesome looking and really yelled out winter lol....

I liked PC and Salzberg's proposed stadiums for the ceremonies for 2010, and hope they keep them for 2014

[Kenadian]

The Ceremonies are just that.  Ceremonies.  Theatre.  Drama.  Culture.  Music.  Not sport.  But they are the biggest ticket item at any Games, the most watched and perhaps even the most remembered.

But there are almost no facilities at a WOG that compare to the size of an athletics stadium.  An athletics stadium and/or a football stadium are normally the largest stadiums you find at any Olympic Games.  So why confine the WOG ceremonies to a small hockey arena or ski jump bowl when a perfectly good stadium is sitting there?  Calgary, Nagano, SLC all made good use of these kinds of venues (Nagano's was a baseball stadium built as part of the Winter Olympic plan).  It allows the winter games to have a certain level of creativity that the summer games do not have.  Grenoble, Lake Placid and Albertville all used temporary facilities.  It just gives it something different each time.

[hektor]

Well I would say that the Opening Ceremony in the ski jumping stadium is something I like about the PyeongChang bid...

I can already see myself there, in the cold Korean night...  

[e1ena]

The Ceremonies are just that.  Ceremonies.  Theatre.  Drama.  Culture.  Music.  Not sport.  But they are the biggest ticket item at any Games, the most watched and perhaps even the most remembered.

But there are almost no facilities at a WOG that compare to the size of an athletics stadium.  An athletics stadium and/or a football stadium are normally the largest stadiums you find at any Olympic Games.  So why confine the WOG ceremonies to a small hockey arena or ski jump bowl when a perfectly good stadium is sitting there?  Calgary, Nagano, SLC all made good use of these kinds of venues (Nagano's was a baseball stadium built as part of the Winter Olympic plan).  It allows the winter games to have a certain level of creativity that the summer games do not have.  Grenoble, Lake Placid and Albertville all used temporary facilities.  It just gives it something different each time.

I agree with most of what you have written, there, Kendegra. But part of me would just like to see the organising city taking the winter theme that little bit further.

Of course, it's a difficult one to call. The stadia are all there for brilliant opening and closing ceremonies, but have little to do with winter sports. On the other hand, existing winter sports facilities will probably not have the capacity, and building one incorporating such facilities just for the purpose of staging the games would be costly and extravagent.

If money and organisation were no object, I'd like to see arenas built incorporating more of a winter purpose (like Pyeongchang, for instance). Logistically, the 'happy medium' fits between the two.   :upside:

[KimJongIl]

While I hope PyeongChang does well, I hope more that North Korea will help by staging some events.  I suggest moving some Ice Hockey to Pyongyang and we could also stage Biathlon in already built venues.

It would be a great reconsillatory gesture.

[baron-pierreIV]

While I hope PyeongChang does well, I hope more that North Korea will help by staging some events.  I suggest moving some Ice Hockey to Pyongyang and we could also stage Biathlon in already built venues.

It would be a great reconsillatory gesture.

Kim!!!  Baron here.  Fancy hearing from you here.  OK, I will broker some events for PRK but you must put away some of your nuclear toys and sing "LONELY" for me!!   :wwww:

[thatsnotmypuppy]

Oh no - Baron - has one of your despot mates joined us?

[baron-pierreIV]

It appears so.  I guess he was feeling....lonely.   :laughlong:

[KimJongIl]

I am neither lonely or 'ronery'.

It is indeed a hard life as a despotic madman with a taste for fine Scandinavian women and Western movies.  How I enjoy my brief trips to Beijing where they play me with hookers and really good birds nest soup.

It is such a chore - nuclear weapon this, boycott that, destroy alaska whatever, it is too much work for a single God-like deity.

[Kenadian]

I have more questions about PyeongChang's venues.

A number of the events for the Olympic Winter Games are held outdoors and so the venues don't necessarily have to be constructed, except for some seating and additional stands.  Actually, these are mostly ski events.  Alpine skiing and snowboarding take place on mountains, arial skiing on a smaller slope, cross country skiing and the biathlon on a ski trail.  Based on the 2010 bid, PyeongChang has these in place, except the freestyle ski area.

But there are a number of facilities that require construction.  Almost all the ice events are now held indoors.  And those wacky sliding tracks and ski jumps don't come naturally.

Again, based on the 2010 bid, PyeongChang only has one facility in existance...the proposed curling arena.

All of the other venues were called either "planned" or would be built on the outcome of the vote.  Those planned facilities included hockey arenas, a speed skating oval, the ski jump bowl, figure skating and short track arenas.  And those dependant on the vote included the sliding centre and the freestyle ski area.

So my question...in the two years since PyeongChang went down to defeat to Vancouver, have any of these planned venues been constructed?  Or has any construction begun?  Not being able to read Korean, I find it so hard to get current and accurate information on PyeongChang.  Would appreciate your help.

[Andrew8]

If i wasn't busy with my life, I would research this more in depth like I have in the past.

But to my knowledge, a lot of the venues do exist thanks to the hosting of Asian Winter Games and other international events.... But they are expanding some of these venues to satisfy the Olympic Standards. Also, adding new ones.

So far, I know that the Ski jumps is not in existance in Gangwon Province (Only Muju has a ski jump).

But there's been advirtisements and news in Korea about constructions to the roads and building a new ski resort to prepare for the 2014 bid.

[Guardian]

Say, didn't South Korea recently got a couple of world championships in winter sports? I did read it here, but I have forgotten what they are and they occur before Vancouver 2010.

[ghost1]

Say, didn't South Korea recently got a couple of world championships in winter sports? I did read it here, but I have forgotten what they are and they occur before Vancouver 2010.

2009 Snowboard

2009 Biathlon

[Guardian]

Say, didn't South Korea recently got a couple of world championships in winter sports? I did read it here, but I have forgotten what they are and they occur before Vancouver 2010.

2009 Snowboard

2009 Biathlon

Okay. That's one half of it, but where in South Korea will they be held? I can assume that they will be held in the PyeongChang area.

[KimJongIl]

Who cares about South Korea?  Pyongyang is hosting the 2005 Small, Evil And Despotic Nations Games in late October!  Angola, Macau and Canada are sure to dominate, but something tells me San Marino, New Zealand and Kiribati will do well, as will the mighty DPK!