Ice sports venues for PyeongChang 2018 to remain in place after Olympics

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) — Two ice sports venues that had been slated for destruction after the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will now remain in place afterward, the government announced Friday.

In a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, the government said the Gangneung Hockey Centre and the Gangneung Oval in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, will continue to be used after 2018. They are currently under construction and are scheduled to be finished by November this year and March next year, respectively.

PyeongChang, west of Gangneung in the same province, will host South Korea’s first Winter Olympics from Feb. 9-25. Gangneung, one of the subhosts within the province, will host hockey, curling, figure skating, short track and speed skating events.

Unable to find needs for the after-use of the two venues, PyeongChang organizers had decided in June 2014 to tear them down following the Winter Games. The decision reached on Friday will give Gangneung ice sports facilities that meet international standards.

Gangneung Hockey Centre will serve as the home arena for local semi-pro and youth hockey clubs. South Korean company Daemyung Holdings will manage the facility.

No corporation has offered to take over Gangneung Oval after the Olympics.

These two venues, along with other ice sports facilities in the region, could serve as South Korea’s main training grounds for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.