What to expect from the Pyeongchang Olympics
By Matthew Fennell, Contributing Writer
When Pyeongchang was chosen ahead of Annecy in the French Alps and Munich, Germany as the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, it was third time lucky for South Korea. Pyeongchang had also bid to host both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games but lost out in the final round of voting by just three and four votes respectively. More than five years have passed since the decision was announced on July 6, 2011 and as we enter 2018, we are now just weeks away from the Games. So, what can people expect from Pyeongchang 2018?
Those following the preparations will know that NHL players won’t be participating, Russian athletes will compete under a neutral flag in response to the doping scandal, and a record 102 medals will be given out to athletes winning their events. Go beyond these big headlines and the build up to the 2018 Winter Olympics has been relatively subdued on the peninsula. Low domestic ticket sales and the continuing North Korea issue threaten to overshadow proceedings. That being said, since the Olympic torch arrived in South Korea on November 1, tickets have started selling at a faster rate and there has been increased local interest in the Olympics.
While ticket sales have yet to completely catch fire, the official Olympics jacket is one piece of merchandise that is nearly impossible to get a hold of. Since the official “Pyeongchang Winter Olympics long padding” jackets were launched at the end of October, Koreans have been queuing up to purchase them. Only 30,000 of the limited-edition coats were produced, leading to some people lining up overnight in sub-zero temperatures in order to get their hands on one before the department stores sell out. For those visiting the Games, bringing a warm coat is going to be key as Pyeongchang is expected to be one of the coldest Olympics on record with the roofless Olympic Stadium promising to be particularly chilly.
From a sporting viewpoint, North Korea recently announced it may well send a delegation to participate in the Games, something it did not do during the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. While North Korea will not be topping the medal table, it is a positive sign for future inter-Korea relations with South Korea also offering high-level talks with the aim of cooperation during the Olympics. It was Russia who led the way at the 2014 Olympics but Germany and Norway are expected to battle it out for top spot at Pyeongchang 2018. Korea will be looking to improve on its 13th place finish four years ago, making the most of its “home field advantage”.
Logistically, Pyeongchang is located around two hours from Seoul and the Olympics will be held in two "clusters", the Pyeongchang Mountain Cluster and the Gangneung Coastal Cluster, with 13 venues set to host 102 medal events. An army of more than 24,000 volunteers has been recruited to ensure the smooth running of the Olympics and the newly-opened, high-speed rail link will ferry people to the venues from Seoul. The eyes of the sporting world will be on Korea and we will soon find out if the Games will be remembered for all the right reasons.