Preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympics are well in progress but some more work should be done to make the quadrennial global extravaganza a success, a team of International Olympic Committee officials said Thursday.

The IOC’s Coordination Commission, tasked with monitoring and assisting local organizers in their run-up to the Olympics, wrapped up its three-day visit to PyeongChang, about 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, where the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held.

It was the third such visit by the commission, headed by Gunilla Lindberg a longtime IOC official. The commission held meetings with PyeongChang organizers and government officials, and also toured Olympic venues.

In a press release, Lindberg congratulated PyeongChang organizers “for the quality of their work” while highlighting the need for more work.

“We were able to see that a large amount has been accomplished by the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee and its partners since our last visit in June 2013,” Lindberg said. “The 2018 Games are on the right track but it is clear that much work remains. We are confident that POCOG and Korea will deliver great Games for the athletes in 2018.”

The commission listed venue construction and running test events as among areas that require PyeongChang’s focus over the next six months.

“The commission was informed that construction companies were being appointed for venues and that some construction was underway,” the statement read. “It underlined the need for timelines to be carefully defined and adhered to, so as to avoid any impacts on test events. Test event preparations beyond venues were also highlighted, as the hiring and training of staff and volunteers should also begin in the near future.”

The commission praised the organizers for construction of a new highway and a high-speed railway connecting Seoul and PyeongChang, and for a recent restructuring of the organizing committee.

“(Building new highway and railway) will leave a great legacy for Korea, its athletes and the citizens of Seoul and Gangwon Province,” the commission said. “The appointment of three vice presidents by POCOG and an associated reorganization were received positively, as this will better enable the organization to handle the increasing demands of organizing the Games over the next four years.”

Kim Jin-sun, head of PyeongChang’s organizing committee, said there is no time to waste for his team.

“We reconfirmed the fact that ... the eyes of the world are now on PyeongChang,” he said. “This year is a big turning point for us.

We must establish a solid framework. As I always stress, we have no time to practice and no time for trial and error. We will streamline our master schedule and set our priorities straight so that everything runs smoothly according to the timeline.”

PyeongChang won the bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2011 in its third try. It will be South Korea’s first Winter Games host.

The commission will next visit PyeongChang at the end of November this year. PyeongChang will also host the official IOC Debriefing of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in June. (Yonhap)