Hard-luck Pyeongchang: Say it ain't Sochi

The citizens of Pyeongchang reacted Thursday with quiet shock at their city failing to be awarded the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, reliving the bitter memories of a disappointing defeat four years ago.

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — The citizens of Pyeongchang reacted Thursday with quiet shock at their city failing to be awarded the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, reliving the bitter memories of a disappointing defeat four years ago.
    A large crowd had gathered from early morning in front of the city hall under cloudy skies in the alpine city to watch the much anticipated decision on a big-screen television.
    But when International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge's announcement came from far away Guatemala, the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi was named the winner and the Pyeongchang crowd reacted with stunned silence.
    One or two people threw flags they were holding emblazoned with ''Pyeongchang 2014'' onto the ground. Puzzled questions by children to their parents were met with the simple answer ''No.''
    ''It's worse than four years ago because this time we really thought we would win,'' said local restaurant owner Son Chang-min.
    The vote came down to a duel between Pyeongchang and Sochi in final voting by the IOC on Wednesday in Guatemala City after the Austrian city of Salzburg was eliminated in the first round tally.
    Pyeongchang, home to 46,000 people, is located 175 kilometers (110 miles) northeast of Seoul. The city nearly upset Vancouver in the vote for the 2010 Winter Games, but narrowly lost in the final round of voting.
    Pyeongchang's 2014 bid received a glowing report from the IOC's evaluation commission in early June.
    The committee listed no significant weaknesses and highlighted the compactness of the venues — all 11 planned venues are within 30 minutes of each other. Four already are built, while construction on three others has started.
    Asked if the city should make a third try, Son was emphatic. ''No more,'' he said. ''We cannot do it again."
    But some in Pyeongchang were not ready to give up.
    ''I feel proud, because we did all that we could do,'' said housewife Song Ji-won. ''We should try again, because how can they say no three times.''
    Pyeongchang is part of Gangwon Province, the only province to be split into two upon the division of the Korean peninsula after World War II. The North Korean Olympic Committee already had promised full cooperation if Pyeongchang won.
    Pyeongchang had hoped to follow the example Seoul set in 1988 when it became the first mainland Asian host of the Summer Olympics.
    The Japanese cities of Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998 have been the only venues outside Europe or North America to host the Winter Olympics.
    Earlier this year, South Korea won the right to stage the 2011 athletics world championships in Daegu and the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. Now comes a chance for the third and biggest event.