2018 Winter Olympics: In the End, It Was Destiny for Pyeongchang on Astini News

Yes, I admit I am late to the party. Actually, I am two months and change late and the party's over. But parties were meant to go on and on, and as I see, the party is only beginning, even amidst the planning and preparations. 

Planning and preparing for an event as significant as the 2018 Winter Olympic Games can be a party in itself. With the buildup and anticipation slowly precipitating in this humble city in Gangwon Province, Pyeongchang will be the first Asian city in a score to host one of the world's biggest sporting events, and the excitement is buzzing. 

You can feel it, in this small county of 43,706. It's a small town with big dreams. And in 2018, the biggest dream of all will become a reality. 

There were two other cities that were also worthy of the prize in Annecy, France and Munich, Germany. However, both cities were too close to Sochi to be a legitimate threat, and though Nagano was still too recent, the IOC delegation in Durban found it to be the lesser of the two evils. 

The result: Pyeongchang crushing Munich by five touchdowns and a field goal, 63-25. Annecy could only manage seven votes. It was the highest vote total ever recorded for a first-round bid, smashing Salt Lake's 2002 bid total of 54 votes. 

More importantly, it validated the old adage that the third time was the charm, as Pyeongchang lost out to Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014. 

Gangwon Governor Kim Jin-Sun spearheaded the plan in September 2007, buoyed by an awareness of the process and the undying spirit of his constituents. In a December 2009 poll by the Chosun Ilbo, 91.4% of Koreans, 93.4% of Pyeongchang and Jeongseon residents, and 93% of Gangwon residents supported the bid. 

Figure skater Kim Yu-Na and Samsung Group box Lee Kun-Hee became the faces of the bid, which allows the games to be played in two clusters of facilities.

The Alpensia Resort in Daegwallyeong will be the home of the snow and sliding events, the press and broadcast centers, a number of Olympic and media villages and the Olympic stadium. In Gangneung, the ice events will be held, as well as more Olympic and media villages. 

It will only take half an hour to get from one event to another via car or rail. There are already seven facilities that exist, with six currently being planned/constructed. 

Indeed, the IOC Evaluation Commission liked what they saw regarding Pyeongchang's bid during a February 2011 visit. 

"We have seen great progress in the bid from the two previous bids. We have also seen progress in Korean winter sports during the last four years," said Evaluation Commission chairwoman Gunilla Lindberg to reporters. "I must also mention the passionate support of Gangwon residents. During our site visits it has been wonderful to see so many people to show their support to bring the Olympic Movement to Korea." 

The decision.

In addition, a new high-speed rail track will deliver the stars of the show and others to Seoul in 50 minutes via the KTX bullet train, with connections to Incheon International Airport. 

"There are world class facilities (in PyeongChang) that can meet the demands of a growing market," said Dietmar Gessner of Sport Bild. "This is a very strong point for PyeongChang. Because I think within the IOC they are encouraging PyeongChang to bid again and again. 

"I think PyeongChang has done very good work on its reputation inside the Olympic family. (I think) Everyone is very impressed the way of bid with professionalism." 

Gamesbids.com's BidIndex picked the right candidate city in their BidIndex. Pyeongchang earned a scored of 66.29, while Munich earned a score of 64.99. Annecy was a distant third with a score of 53.85. 

On July 6, 2011 at 5:22 p.m. in Durban (July 7 at 12:22 a.m. in Pyeongchang), years of heartbreak and frustration had finally ended. Pyeongchang would finally host a Winter Olympic Games. 

Now the hard work begins, as the party continues.

Better late than never.