Pyeongchang, South Korea Will Host 2018 Winter Olympics

The ultra, double secret ballots are in, and Pyeongchang, South Korea will be the sucker host of the 2018 Winter Olympics.  This isn't much of a surprise, as it was considered the favorite for quite a while now and, indeed, the South Korean bid beat Munich and Annecy, France on the first ballot.  Pyeongchang also bid on the 2010 and 2014 Games and the IOC definitely rewards persistence.

Over at the indispensable gamesbids.com, there's the note that the South Korean city has already spent nearly $1.5 billion on a ski resort and another $1 billion on sport and infrastructure in their pursuit of the big prize.  For their troubles, the South Korean government now gets to spend another $8 billion plus to get ready for the Games.  Another indispensable site, aroundtherings.com cites the bid site's layout and ease of getting from venue to venue in a short period of time as major determining factors in the win.  Despite the fact that the venue is nearly two hours from the nearest airport, there are plans to build a high-speed rail line to link the venue with Seoul.


So, take in the official promotional video for Pyeongchang and high-five a Korean guy today!