Ninety-seven out of 111 International Olympic Committee members will vote to select the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. IOC Communications Director Giselle Davis on Tuesday told reporters in Guatemala City, where the IOC general assembly makes the choice on Wednesday, that five IOC members will opt out of the vote. Eight members from the three bidder countries -- Korea, Russia and Austria -- plus International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge will not vote either. Thus Korea¡¯s Pyeongchang would win the bid if it gets more than 49 votes in the first round. If no candidates win more than half the votes, a second round will decide between the two strongest contenders.
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Participants performs the traditional Mayan Ballgame during the opening ceremony of the Guatemala Olympic Sports Street, in Guatemala City on Tuesday.The International Olympic Committee has shortlisted the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, Salzburg in Austria and Pyeongchang in Korea to host the 2014 Winter Olympics and will announce the winner on Wednesday in Guatemala./REUTERS
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The approach of the vote has shaken optimism among proponents of Pyeongchang¡¯s bid. IOC Vice President Chiharu Igaya, who led the on-site inspections on candidate cities, told a Pyeongchang bid committee official there are few gaps among candidates and the final presentations by bidders will be crucial in making the selection. Korean Olympic Committee President Kim Jung-kil said, ¡°In Korea, we thought Pyeongchang is way ahead of other rivals. But here, we realized that we were wrong. We can win the bid only by doing our utmost on the assumption that we are the underdog.¡±
The heat is certainly on IOC members too, given that the leaders of all three bidder countries are lobbying them in Guatemala City. President Roh Moo-hyun continued his campaign to drum up support for Pyeongchang on Tuesday, meeting with IOC members including Rogge to persuade them to vote for the Korean city. Roh decided not to attend the ceremony to announce the winner on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Guatemala City on Tuesday afternoon to push the campaign of the city of Sochi. Some IOC members have expressed concern that the race is getting too intense.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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