A German news agency says an International Olympic Committee (IOC) evaluation team was impressed after inspecting Pyeongchang, which is bidding to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

DPA said Tuesday that the 16-member IOC delegation cited the strong support of Pyeongchang residents and government as well as the short distances between sports venues as the county’s biggest strengths.

However, the report was quick to add that the chief delegate of the inspection team, Chiharu Igaya, said Korea’s low competitiveness in winter sports remains to be the county’s largest weakness. Igaya said that in order to host a successful Olympic Games, it is important that the host country has a world-class level of performance.

Igaya added that if the 2014 Winter Olympic Games takes place in South Korea, the move would greatly contribute to the development of winter sports in Asia.

The chief delegate made the statement as he cited that the event has been held in Asia only twice before, once in Japan’s Sapporo in 1972 and the other in Nagano, also in Japan, in 1998.