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Pyeongchang has no plans to move Win- ter Olympics competitions away from the South Korean alpine county, the 2018 or- ganizing committee said, downplaying re- ports that talks had taken place on switch- ing sledding events to Japan. Sources told Reuters at the recent In- ternational Olympic Committee session in Monaco that Pyeongchang organizers had held discussions with the luge and bobsleigh/skeleton federations about the possibility of the switch. The IOC voted at its session to allow host cities to move events to other towns, or countries, breaking with the tradition of keeping the Games in one location and fueling speculation Pyeongchang could take advantage of the change. However, POCOG said in a statement that all the events would take place as original- ly set out in its bid. POCOG President Cho Yang-ho said that while the hosting chang- es could benefit the Olympic Movement, “it will be difficult to apply those recom- mendations to our plans at this stage, giv- en that construction for all competition venues is already in progress. “We will study the options once we re- ceive more detailed information from the IOC, but for now it is our wish to have all events staged in Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Jeongseon as per our original bid plan accepted by the IOC. “We are developing solid legacy plans for post-Games use of the venues, as well as measures to control costs, and will contin- ue to work on Games preparations in close cooperation with the IOC.” Pyeongchang’s preparations for Asia’s first Winter Games outside Japan have been beset by budget issues, with Gang- won Province, where the town is located, at odds with the central government over how much of the cost it should bear. The total cost of the Games is estimated at more than 11 trillion won, with the Al- pensia Sliding Center costing more than 120 billion won. However, after three costly bids and a decade of campaigning to host a Winter Olympics, South Korea would not only lose face by sharing events with Japan, it would also ruin its reputation as a safe pair of hands for the world’s biggest sport - ing events. South Korea has a well-earned reputa- tion as one of the few countries ready, will- ing and financially able to host high-profile events, spending big on lavish ceremonies, state-of-the-art venues and improved transportation links. It burst to life on the sporting scene with the 1988 Seoul Olympics, came of age in 2002 by co-hosting a unique soccer World Cup with Japan, and dazzled athletes and spectators alike at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu in 2011. South Korea will become just the eighth country to have hosted a Summer and Winter Games, and acknowledging it does not have the financial muscle to live up to its promises would be a major embarrass- ment for a country proud of its economic rise from the ashes of the 1950-53 Korean War. GameS To STay in pyeonGcHanG The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has begun scrutinizing the safety of the Lotte World Aquarium, following an administrative order from the newly established Ministry of Public Safety and Security. Concerns arose after a 7-centimeter crack was discovered last month in the 11,000-square-meter aquarium. “We sent an official document to Lotte to submit its plan report for the safety scrutiny,” said Kim Yoo-sik, head of con - struction facilities management at Seoul Metropolitan Government. “Lotte’s plan report will be reviewed by Seoul Metro- politan Government and the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.” The results of the safety assessment could lead to a business suspension based on the degree of problems found. Currently, the use of the aquarium tunnel is limited, Kim said. Before the safety evaluation was an - nounced, the ministry launched a safety inspection team consisting of 11 safety experts. The ministry announced that the team had tentatively concluded that the fissure was caused because the adhesive sealant failed to properly bond the aquarium to the concrete wall. The inspection team also spotted two other cracks during the investigation and said the cause would be determined in the safety inspection. “We suspected that the other aquariums might also have leaks i n addition to the other one,” said Kim Chan-oh, who led the inspection team. “So we concluded that a safety evaluation was required for further investigation.” Lotte apologized in a statement, stating, “We understand that safety is the No. 1 is - sue. We will do our best to fix the safety problems that the inspection team has pointed out.” The aquarium is the nation’s largest and holds 4,000 tons of water and 55,000 sea creatures from 650 species. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also asked the mall to make repairs after water was found leaking in the basement parking lot, which is connected to Jamsil Station. SafeTy Team aSSeSSeS loTTe aqUariUm n a T i o n a l n e w Swith January 2015 / www.koreajoongangdaily.com