Read CNN’s Fast Facts about the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
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, and 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 allow individuals to travel from Seoul to Pyeongchang in less than an hour.
In total, 13 venues, split between Pyeongchang and neighboring Gangneung, are used during the 17 days of the Games. Six new venues were built, and additional venues were 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.
Venues and Sports Maps
Schedules
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.
