Olympics-Pyeongchang 2018 Games bid sees governor Lee forced out

BERLIN Jan 27 (Reuters) - South Korea's Pyeongchang, bidding to host the 2018 winter Olympics, was dealt a blow on Thursday when the country's supreme court upheld a conviction of the region's governor and forced him to step down.

The South Korean court upheld a six-month suspended jail sentence and a $100,000 fine for Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae who was also stripped of his position, for receiving illegal political funds, just six months before the International Olympic Committee votes on the 2018 bids.

France's Annecy and Germany's Munich are the other two candidates, with the IOC electing the winner on July 6.

Pyeongchang, bidding to become the first Asian location outside Japan to host winter Olympics, played down the decision's impact on its candidacy.

As governor, Lee played a key role in the bid, meeting IOC officials on several occasions after taking office in June.

"As a matter of national priority, the bid campaign is a team effort that is not dependant on one or two individuals, and we are all working together systematically," the bid committee said in a statement.

"The Pyeongchang 2018 bid committee fully respects the due legal process and the decision made by the Supreme Court in relation to Governor Lee. We appreciate the support he has shown towards the bid up to now," it said.

The city is making its third consecutive attempt to land the winter Games after narrowly missing out for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics, in an effort to establish itself as a major winter sports hub.

"Pyeongchang 2018 will proactively continue our bid activities under the leadership of the bid chairman and with the government's strong backing," they said. "Vice Governor Ki Chang Kang has reaffirmed the Province's dedicated support for Pyeongchang's bid."

(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, Editing by Martyn Herman; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)