2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea: Everything you need to know

As the Winter Olympics get closer, we take a look at the extravaganza that will bring together the best in the world on the ice and freezing temperatures of Pyeogchang in South Korea. The 23rd edition of the Winter Games begin from February 9 and go up until Febraruy 25. We present a quick guide to the sports/events, mascots, TV broadcast in India and facts.

Which city is hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics?

As with every Olympics, the venue gathers a lot of flutter. For the 2018 Winter Olympics, PyeongChang in South Korea emerged as the successful bidder. The South Korean city thwarted other bids from Munich, Germany and Annecy, France in 2011. PyeongChang is about 125 kilometers east of Korea’s capital Seoul and about 100 kilomoeters south of the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

Has South Korea hosted Olympic Games before?

This will be the first time that a South Korean city will be hosting the Winter Olympics. Previously, Seoul had hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium – a temporary structure built for the purpose of the Games – with a capacity for 35,000 spectators.

What are the key dates for the 2018 Winter Olympics?

The sporting activity begins on Thursday, February 8 at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The next day, February 9, the opening ceremony will take place at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. The closing ceremony will be held at the same venue on Sunday, February 25.

Which Indian athletes are competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics?

Shiva Keshavan will have India’s attention in Luge. (Source: AP)

India will have two representatives at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Shiva Keshavan will be competing at the Winter Games for sixth and last time in the Luge competition. Jagdish Singh is India’s second representative and he will look to come back with a medal around his neck after competing in the Men’s 15km freestyle skiing event.

How to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics?

Unfortunately for the Indian audience, there is no live TV broadcast of the 2018 Winter Olympics. So to keep track of everything from PyeongChang, follow IndianExpress.com as we will keep you up to speed with unfolding of the big events.

Which are the sports/events that will take place at the 2018 Winter Olympics?

The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang will feature 102 events across 15 sports, making it the first Winter Games to surpass 100 medal events.

The sporting events that one can witness and relish at the 2018 Winter Olympics are: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Snowboard and Speed Skating.

Newest additions as sports or events to the 2018 Winter Olympics are: big air snowboarding, mixed team alpine skiing, mass start speed skating and mixed doubles curling.

Olympic Channel

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King and Queen Soohorang can’t wait for the @pyeongchang2018 Winter @Olympics to begin this Friday!

What is the mascot for the 2018 Winter Olympics?

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics mascot is Soohorang. (Source: Reuters)

Every Olympics are defined by the mascot – usually an animal associated with the host city or country. For the 2018 Winter Olympics it is no different. For the PyeongChang Games, the mascot is a white tiger named ‘Soohorang’. The tiger is “closely associated with Korean mythology and culture” and is a “familiar figure in Korean folk tales as a symbol of trust, strength and protection,” according to the Games website.

What are some interesting facts about the 2018 Winter Olympics?

# Even as ticket sales have been poor for the 2018 Winter Olympics in the tune up to the event, the event organisers have been careful in not overspending. The estimated cost of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is $10 billion, five times less than the 2014 Sochi Olympics – estimated to be the costliest ever.

# To avoid any confusion with North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, the organisers changed the name of the city, for the Games, by capitalising the ‘C’. So it is PyeongChang and not Pyeongchang. Only until February 25.

# This is not the first time that PyeongChang has bid for the Winter Olympics. It lost out to Vancouver, Canada in 2010 by just three votes and to Sochi, Russia in 2014 by four votes.

# PyeongChang’s successful bid for the Winter Olympics this time around can be attributed to the development of high-speed rail lines. The city, otherwise isolated, is now connected Seoul with travel time of less than an hour.

# The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held across 13 venues split between PyeongChang and Gangneung. For the Games, six new venues have been built, and additional venues have been renovated.

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