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Bogdan Gabrovec: President of Olympic Committee of Slovenia about Pyeongchang 2018

In predicting the number of cash registers, a month and a half before the start of Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the first man of the Slovenian Olympic Committee, Bogdan Gabrovec share some of his thoughts.

There is exactly 47 days left until the start of Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Are the preparations at the Slovenian level completely under control?The Olympic Games are an event where there is no room for many mistakes. Preparations are made according to plans. I also believe that the timing of the preparation has tempted so that athletes will achieve the best results in Pyeongchang.

In the past, you were keen to announce the number of Slovenian cash registers, but this time...This time, I will abstain from the announcement. There is often too much debate around the announcement, but above all, I do not want to honor only those who win medals. A good example is Rio, where we had some athletes in the Olympic Games who were ranked just below the stage for the winners. I think that in Slovenia we gave too little appreciation to them. But these are remarkable results. And about Pyeongchang 2018? Let's be surprised. I believe that this surprise will be positive.

What will be the final bill?
The budget of the Slovenian project for Winter Olympic Games 2018 is set up to 1.8 million euros. We previously paid additional funds to athletes. I'm talking about three years of funding through international scholarships and additional cash support for candidates' preparation. It is now difficult to talk about the final account, but the fact is that this is a large and demanding project, which is the mission of our organization.

Are you going to compete next year for the new presidential term of the OCS?
Yes, I will try to continue my work. A prerequisite, of course, is the confidentiality of trade associations. I am convinced that I have not completed my work to the end.

News source: siol.net
Photo credits: Žiga Zupan/Sportida