March 19--No one ever said that hosting an Olympics is easy.
With organizers in Rio de Janeiro struggling to get ready for the 2016 Summer Games, their colleagues in Pyeongchang, South Korea, have received a mild warning about preparations for the 2018 Winter Games.
International Olympic Committee inspectors expressed satisfaction with the work being done in Pyeongchang but said that more needs to be done.
"With the first test events less than one year away, [the organizing committee] and its partners will need to focus simultaneously on multiple objectives over the next year," said Gunilla Lindberg, chairwoman of the IOC's coordination commission.
The IOC wants to see progress with venues, planning and budgeting, among other things.
Such talk is nothing new -- conflict and controversy often mark the years leading up to the Games, which require massive coordination to accommodate thousands upon thousands of athletes, officials and fans.
"Based on the feedback that we have received over the past week, we will move forward aggressively and with momentum," said Yang-ho Cho, president and chief executive of the organizing committee.
