And the winner is ... !

The city of PyeongChang, Korea was awarded the opportunity of hosting the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games this week over Munich Germany, and Annecy, France. Needing 48 votes from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members for the victory, PyeongChang received 63 of the 95 votes cast in the first round of voting (Munich received 25 and Annecy seven.) It was the first time an Olympic bid race with more than two finalists was decided in the first round since 1995, when Salt Lake City defeated three other bid candidates to win the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

This was PyeongChang’s third consecutive bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, having lost narrowly to Vancouver (2010) and Sochi (2014) previously. It will be the first Winter Games in South Korea, and the nation’s second Olympics after having hosted the 1988 Olympic Games in the capital city of Seoul. PyeongChang will be the first city in Asia, outside Japan, to ever host the Olympic Winter Games. Japan twice hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 (Sapporo) and again in 1998 (Nagano).

Just 180km east of Seoul and in the Taebaek Mountains, PyeongChang, campaigned on the theme of "New Horizons," and how that it deserved to win on a third try. And win they did! There is no doubt that PyeongChang will become the new world class travel destination for winter sports.

The 2018 Olympic Winter Games will be held from 9 through to 24 February 2018.

For more information on the Olympic Games, please visit SIRC.