Women wearing Korean traditional costume Hanbok perform during an unveiling ceremony of the Olympic countdown clock to mark a year to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
GANGNEUNG, South Korea (Reuters) - Pyeongchang has waited a long time to host the Winter Olympics, suffering two failed bids before securing success, but on Thursday the South Korean alpine town's dream came a step closer to reality with the one-year countdown to the 2018 Games.
Pyeongchang will stage Asia's first Winter Games outside Japan and kick off an Asian Olympic cycle that reflects the region's growing influence on world sport with Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Games and Beijing holding the 2022 Winter Olympics.
