Here’s a look at the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea. The games are scheduled to take place February 9-25, 2018. The Paralympics are scheduled to take place March 9-18, 2018.
Facts:
This is the first time South Korea has hosted the Winter Olympics. The 1988 Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea.
The estimated cost of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is $10 billion, five times less than the 2014 Sochi Olympics, which were estimated to be the costliest ever.
To avoid any potential confusion with North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, the PyeongChang resort – which is just 50 miles south of the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries – has changed its name for the Games, by capitalizing the “C.”
The city lost by three votes to Vancouver for hosting duties in the 2010 Olympics, by just four votes to Sochi for the 2014 event.
Development of high-speed rail lines was key to the country’s Olympic bid, as PyeongChang is rather isolated. The new train lines will allow individuals to travel from Seoul to PyeongChang in less than an hour.
In total, 13 venues, split between PyeongChang and neighboring Gangneung, will be used during the 17 days of the Games. Six new venues have been built, and additional venues have been renovated for the Games.
A record 102 medals will be awarded in 15 disciplines.
For the first time, viewers in all US time zones will have access to live coverage of the games, instead of a delayed replay.
Timeline:
October 16, 2009 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announces that three cities have applied to host the games: Munich, Annecy, France, and PyeongChang, South Korea.
June 22, 2010 – The three cities are selected as finalists to host the 2018 Olympics.
June 7, 2011 – NBC and Comcast are awarded the rights to continue broadcasting the Olympic Games through 2020 for $4.38 billion. Since 1964, NBC has broadcast 16 editions of the game.
July 6, 2011 – The winning city, PyeongChang, is announced in Durban, South Africa.
May 3, 2013 – The PyeongChang Organization Committee (POC) unveils the official Olympics emblem.
June 9, 2015 – The IOC announces the addition of six events: one alpine skiing event, two snowboarding events, two skating events, and one curling event. This increases the total number of gold medals to 102, allowing the PyeongChang 2018 Games to be the first in Winter Olympic history to hold more than 100 medal events.
June 2, 2016 – PyeongChang announces the official mascots for the games: Soohorang, a white tiger, and Bandabi, an Asiatic black bear.
April 3, 2017 – The National Hockey League (NHL) announces no break in the 2017-2018 schedule for the participation in the PyeongChang Games. Players part of NHL teams will not be allowed to participate in the Games.
September 21, 2017 – France threatens to skip the Olympics over safety concerns, due to PyeongChang’s proximity to North Korea and North Korea’s recent testing of atomic weapons.
October 19, 2017 – The IOC announces Apostolos Angelis, a 24 year-old cross-country skier from Greece, will be the first torchbearer for the 2018 Olympic Games.
October 24, 2017 – In the role of high priestess, Greek actress Katerina Lehou lights the Olympic torch before the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, the site of Ancient Olympia. The torch is then handed to Angelis, the first torchbearer, who then passes it to its first South Korean torchbearer, former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung.
October 24, 2017 – Despite concerns over safety by other European countries, Germany reaffirms its participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
November 1, 2017 – The flame arrives in the Republic of Korea, 100 days before the Games are scheduled to begin.
November 7, 2017 – The POC announces that the 13 sporting venues are currently 99.7% completed.
November 17, 2017 – The Nigerian bobsled team qualifies for the 2018 Olympics becoming both the first Nigerian team, and the first African women competitors to be represented at the Winter Olympics.
December 5, 2017 – The IOC announces that Russia is banned from participating in the 2018 Olympics due to a lengthy doping investigation. Clean athletes will be allowed to participate under the generic Olympic flag.