The 2018 Winter Olympics are set to begin Feb. 9 in PyeongChang, South Korea. This is the 22nd edition of the Winter Olympics, with the first being held in 1924 in France.
Every other year a pre-decided country hosts the Olympics, summer or winter, inviting nations of the world to participate in various sports to see who is the best. Prizes are awarded as gold, silver or bronze medals. This year there are 102 medals up for grabs.
This will be the second olympic games held in South Korea, after the 1988 games held in Seoul.
Some of the popular sports going on in winter consist of: Bobsleigh, Cross Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey and Snowboarding. In the last winter games in Sochi, Russia, the United States won a total of 28 medals, 9 gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze.
With the games being held in South Korea, North Korea has agreed to send their athletes to compete under the South Korean flag, to participate this year. North Korea’s attendance at the winter games has been infrequent in past years.
Each year the host country picks a mascot, this year being the white tiger named Soohorang. It was chosen because it is considered Korea’s guardian animal.
The name Soohorang is derived from the Korean language, ‘Sooho’ meaning ‘protection’. Korea ensures the athletes and spectators are safe during the games. ‘Rang” is part of the Korean word for ‘tiger’ and is also the last letter of a folk song from the city of PyeongChang where the games are to be held.
The time difference in the U.S. will put the games 14 hours ahead Eastern Time. The games will be broadcast live on NBC’s channel and website for those who wish to watch them. This will be the first year the Winter Olympics will be broadcast live and not delayed for time difference.
The United States performed well in the 2010 Vancouver games, winning 37 medals total. Many annual viewers were disappointed, though, after watching a slight negative change from 2010 to the 2014 Sochi games, where the US won 28 medals, noticeably less than before. Many viewers hope to see more medals for team USA this winter olympics.
Many nations have already been selected to host further Olympic games. Following this year’s, we will see the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, 2022 Olympics in Beijing, 2024 Olympics in Paris and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
There have been 23 Summer Olympics, dating back to 1896. The last Olympics held in the U.S. was in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2002 for the Winter Games.
For further details, visit www.olympic.org.
Kelsey Fitzpatrick
Reporter