It’s that time of year again: the winter Olympics are right around the corner! This year, the Olympics will be held between February 9th and February 25th in PyeongChang county, South Korea. This is the second time that South Korea will be hosting the Olympics. There will be a plethora of winter sports, some of which are new to the Olympic games. Get excited because these winter games are coming in full force!
Background of PyeongChang
There are approximately 43,000 residents currently living in PyeongChang. It is located in the Taebaek Mountains region and is close in proximity to the nation’s capital, Seoul. It is well known for being home to Odaesan National Park, in which the trails crisscross the Taebaek Mountains. Also, the high elevation allows residents to live healthy, restful lives and is one of the best places to play sports in the world.
About the Winter Olympics
There will be various venues for 15 different sports in the Olympic Games, including but not limited to the Alspensia Resort, Bokwang Snow Park, Gangneun Olympic Park, Jeongseon Alpine Centre, and the Kwandong Hockey Centre. However, the main location for the games is the Alspensia Center. Moreover, there will be 102 events taking place during the Olympics. Olympic Mascot
South Korea’s mascot is the White Tiger, Soohorang, who represents a guardian animal and symbolizes the protection of those who participate in the games. The name, Soohorang, originates from two words: “Sooho”, which means protection in Korean, and “rang,” which comes from the word “Horangi,” or tiger.
The Countries Attending
There are a total of 88 nations competing in this year’s Winter Olympics. Additionally, if they decide to participate, Ecuador, Eritrea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Kosovo are scheduled to make their Winter Olympics debuts.
The Sports
The 15 sports represented during this year’s Winter Olympics are all snow or ice related. There is Big Air Snowboarding, Free-Style Skiing, Short Track Speed Skating, Ski Jumping, Biathlon, Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Bobsleigh, Luge, Ice Hockey, Skeleton, and Nordic Combined. Additionally, the big air sports competitors try to fly off a highly pitched ramp, while performing as many jumps possible in the time allotted consisting of numerous flips and spins.
The 2018 Winter Olympics are going to be a blast and I hope you guys tune in and watch along during the month of February! NBC will broadcast the Olympic Games live in all time zones.