The IOC thinks government support and South Korea's experience in organizing major sports events strengthen Pyeongchang's bid to host the 2010 Winter Games

Still, the town needs to improve transportation, accommodations and the quality of ski-jump hills, Gerhard Heiberg, chairman of the IOC marketing commission and the chief delegate of the evaluation team, said Monday. Pyeongchang, a mountain resort in eastern South Korea, is competing against Salzburg, Austria, and Vancouver, British Columbia. The IOC will make a final decision July 2 in Prague, Czech Republic, after inspections of each site. "Our conclusion is clear. Pyeongchang could organize very, very good games in 2010," Heiberg said at a news conference. "We all agree on that, there is no doubt about it." During the four-day inspection, which began Friday, the 18-member IOC inspection team received briefings from South Korean officials and toured facilities. They also met President-elect Roh Moo-hyun on Friday. Heiberg said discussions with South Korean officials also included unspecified "security problems," but the inspection team felt that it was not a major concern. The team also did not have detailed discussions on the issue of security between South Korean and North Korea. The team also praised the South Korean government's strong support for the games.