PyeongChang holds talks with Tokyo, Beijing over Olympic cooperation

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) — Organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said Tuesday they held a teleconference with their counterparts in Tokyo and Beijing over their Olympic cooperation.

PyeongChang’s organizing committee said the talks brought together representatives from the organizing bodies for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Also taking part were the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission chiefs for the three Olympics.

The PyeongChang committee said its president, Lee Hee-beom, proposed the teleconference while visiting the IOC President Thomas Bach during the IOC Executive Board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this month.

The PyeongChang Winter Games, the first of its kind in South Korea, will kick off an unprecedented cycle of three consecutive Olympics in Northeast Asia. Lee has often touched upon the significance of the occasion, saying the balance of the Olympic Movement will shift toward the region.

During the teleconference, the three host cities discussed ways in which to share their hosting experience, to reuse competition or practice facilities and to promote the Olympic Games.

PyeongChang officials are hoping to organize a joint meeting, with Bach also on hand, during the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games in August. They will also talk about implementing cooperative measures and holding joint conferences on a regular basis.

“Once we make progress in our cooperation talks, it will lead to further improvement of the Olympic Movement and will create a synergy effect,” Lee said. “In Rio, we’ll look to more in-depth discussions on more specific and practical measures.”