(ATR) The South Korean government has settled on a plan for building the flagship venue of the PyeongChang Games.
A new 40,000-seat stadium in Hoenggye-ri will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Olympics. Construction is expected to begin in January.
An expected budget of $181 million will be used to pave and extend seven roads and railways around the new stadium in an effort to improve accessibility.
The determination was made at a Thursday meeting between South Korea Prime Minister Hong-won Chung, the country’s sports ministry, Olympic organizers, and officials of the Gangwon Province.
Another $78.3 million has been allotted to facilities, 50 percent of which will be covered by the government. The organizing committee will cover 25 percent, as will provincial authorities.
"I ask our organizers to ensure that all venues be built economically with long-term uses in mind," said Chung, according to the Korea Times.
He also pointed out the possibility of moving events to other locations - as allowed by last week’s IOC reforms - is "not feasible considering our schedule and construction progress."
The main stadium will be downsized to 15,000 seats after the Games in order to host cultural events.
Among other points of discussion were the construction of the athletes’ village in the YongPyeong Dome area of Hoenggye-ri and the speed at which railways from PyeongChang to the Incheon airport are being built.
Written by Nick Devlin
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