Korea to Become First Asian Host of World Skiing Congress

Published on 2012/05/26 | Source

Workers attend a rehearsal for the official banquet of the FIS Congress at High 1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province on Thursday.

The 2012 International Ski Federation (FIS) Congress will be held at High 1 Resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, for seven days from Sunday to June 2 for the first time in Asia.

Gangwon Province and the resort announced on Thursday that the 48th FIS Congress will take place at Kangwonland Convention Hotel. The biennial meeting draws participation from representatives of national ski federations from 110 member countries, and has mostly been convened in Europe and North America.

Over 1,000 people will attend, including International Olympic Committee members, national delegations, officials from ski-related organizations and the press. The regulations and organization of skiing and snowboarding events will be discussed, while sub-committees will meet to seek ways of developing the two sports.

There will be briefings on candidate cities bidding to host upcoming skiing and snowboarding competitions, and the host city for the 2016-2017 World Ski Championships will be selected. Seminars and training sessions on skiing-related management and marketing strategies are also planned.

As the Congress tends to determine trends in world winter sports for the next two years, Korea is hoping to enhance its standing in this realm by hosting the event, as a prelude to its hosting of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The FIS, which was founded in Chamonix, France, in 1924 with 14 countries as members, aims to expand to grow the world's skiing population and strengthen ties among member states. It is headquartered in Switzerland, and Korea joined in 1957.

Meanwhile, High 1 Resort is hoping to capture the hearts of attendees with its scenic surroundings and cutting-edge facilities. Kangwon Land Convention Hotel has a 2,040-capacity convention hall, a dining hall that can accommodate 1,000 people, an event hall, fitness center and spa.