South Korea's bid team from Pyeongchang were left feeling they had been stabbed in the back on Wednesday after narrowly losing, for a second successive time, the right to stage the Winter Olympics.

Pyeongchang were beaten by four votes by Sochi in the ballot to stage the 2014 Games.

"It's almost like being stabbed in the back," Pyeongchang development director Jeon Yong-kwan said.

"I don't get it. We have worked for years to improve our previous bid. We did everything the IOC asked of us. It wasn't just a show."

In Prague in 2003 Pyeongchang were edged out by Vancouver for the right to stage the 2010 Olympics.

Jeon also suggested Sochi, who are yet to build venues to stage the Games, might not be ready.

"I don't think they can build all the venues in the time they have though they say they can," he said.

"I don't want to say anything. Not now," said a shocked Gangwon province leader Kim Jin-sun, minutes after the result.

"I decided not to talk yet," he said walking away as the Russians, a few metres further down were preparing to sign the Games contract amid roaring applause.

Kim had masterminded the bid that would have taken the Winter Games to Asia for only the third time, and the first time outside Japan.

He had the backing of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun who spent three days in Guatemala trying to convince the IOC of the bid's quality.

In the weeks running up to the Games, Pyeongchang bid officials sounded confident they could win the Olympics after losing out four years ago to Canada's Vancouver by only three votes.

This time it was four votes that gave the winter edition of the Games to Russia for the first time.

"I just don't get it," said Pyeongchang Development Director Jeon Yong-kwan. "It (the bid) was real. It was not fake. If that did not work I don't know what would," he said.

Bid leaders were left speechless, looking over to the overjoyed Sochi team celebrating the win, shortly after IOC President Jacques Rogge announced the decision.

(China Daily via Agencies July 6, 2007)