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Memories of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 will be preserved in the IOC Heritage Collections for future generations thanks to the work of the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage At each edition of the Olympic Games, a dedicated team from the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage assembles a collection of Games-time memorabilia, which is then taken back to Lausanne to be preserved in the IOC Heritage Collections, exhibited at the Olympic Museum and around the world. In PyeongChang, the team is appealing to athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs), as well as the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG), to help compile the collection, which can be broadly divided into three categories: athletes’ equipment, interviews and publications. More than 70,000 objects of Olympic heritage are housed at the Olympic Museum, and athletes are encouraged to contribute to this unique collection by donating emblematic pieces of equipment or sports kit in which they compete at these Games. Athletes can also volunteer to take part in a “Words of Olympians” fi lmed interview – a fi rst-hand account of their Olympic experience, the challenges they’ve faced and the legacy they plan to leave behind. There are currently 400 such interviews available, forming a precious contribution to Olympic history. Finally, the team is gathering Games-time publications edited by NOCs, IFs and POCOG. These publications, consisting mainly of books, manuals, magazines, handbooks and media guides, will enrich the IOC Olympic Studies Centre’s (OSC) collections. The OSC team will guarantee that they are preserved for posterity and will make them readily available to researchers and Olympic Movement representatives. MAKE A DONATION TO THE OLYMPIC CULTURAL HERITAGE a lesser known city turned international after hosting the Olympic Winter Games,” said POCOG spokesman Sung Baik-you. “We hope PyeongChang becomes Asia’s best winter tourist destination after these Games.” PyeongChang 2018 will actually kick-start an unprecedented cycle of three consecutive Olympic Games in Asia, with Tokyo hosting the summer Games in 2020 and Beijing staging the Olympic Winter Games 2022. Organisers in the three host cities have already engaged in cooperative dialogue to explore ways to promote their Games and further strengthen their relations. And the signifi cance of the occasion has not been lost on President Bach, who has called on the three host countries to take advantage of an “historic opportunity” to strengthen their ties. “The Olympic Games can play an important part in promoting friendship, peace and solidarity through sport in the region,” says the IOC President. “PyeongChang has an important role to set the right tone as the fi rst Asian host city in this remarkable series. It is my hope that the Republic of Korea, Japan and China will continue to build on this historic opportunity.” PyeongChang 2018 will already be historic in its own right, offering a record 102 gold medals and featuring a host of new events – including snowboard big air and mixed doubles curling – to appeal to younger audiences and further the IOC’s goal of gender equality, as clearly stated by Olympic Agenda 2020. President Bach and POCOG have spoken about the importance of having a strong home team, so that the performances of Korean athletes can galvanise the home crowds and excite a fanbase that is always hungry for new winter sports stars. One potential standout is short track speed skater ‘HOSTING THE OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES IS GIVING NEW ECONOMIC IMPETUS TO PYEONGCHANG AND GANGWON PROVINCE’ IOC PRESIDENT THOMAS BACH Pictured Memorabilia from each edition of the Games is exhibited in the Olympic Museum and around the world OLYMPIC REVIEW 35 PYEONGCHANG 2018 PREVIEW