Over three quarters of respondents to the survey said hosting the Olympics provides many benefits to the city ©IOC

More than three quarters of respondents to an International Olympic Committee (IOC) commissioned survey claimed staging the Olympic Games provides "many benefits" for the host city.

Nine out of 10 people who took part in survey, conducted after last year's Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, correctly identified the Olympic Rings, while 93 per cent said they were aware of the Olympic Games.

The IOC's most important role was identified as "promoting peace through sport" in the survey involving 36,000 people aged 13 to 65 from 16 countries.

Promoting peace through sport was listed in the top three of the IOC's roles by 38 per cent of people, and 18 per cent of those said it was the most important.

The study found that 65 per cent of people considered Pyeongchang 2018 a success, a figure which rose to 75 per cent among South Korean residents.

A total of 77 per cent of respondents said staging the Games was beneficial for the host city - although they were not asked to explain what they thought the advantages were - and 72 per cent claimed hosting the event provides opportunity for economic development.

The findings come despite the IOC struggling to attract bidders for the Winter Olympics in particular as the organisation is left with a choice of just two cities for the second straight winter campaign.

IOC director general Christophe de Kepper admitted the IOC was "surprised" by the findings of the survey given the issues faced in recent editions of the Games.

"After difficult Games in Sochi [2014] and Rio [2016], we have confirmation that the brand is very strong and the recognition of the institution is also strong," he said here.

"If you look at all the controversies, you would have expected that we would have been affected."

The IOC claim the survey, conducted by Publicis Sport & Entertainment, claimed to be independent but the company has worked with the organisation on other projects before.

"This latest research clearly demonstrates the strength of not only the Olympic Games, but also the Olympic values," said IOC President Thomas Bach. 

"In today’s fragile society, it is heartening to see that people still recognise the significance of these values and look to the IOC to bring the entire world together in peace."