At the Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, medalists are being presented with stuffed white tigers — but they also receive medals later in the evening.
Finland’s
Krista Parmakoski poses with a stuffed tiger after winning a
bronze medal in cross-country skiing at the Pyeongchang
Olympics. Matthias
Schrader/AP
Viewers taking in the action at the Pyeongchang
Games might be wondering why athletes appear to be receiving
small stuffed tigers instead of medals. But the tigers aren’t
replacing medals at the 2018 Games — they are just an added
bonus.
Here’s how it all breaks down.
Athletes who win medals at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics
are honored in two separate
ceremonies, according to the International Olympic Committee
(IOC). The first one happens directly after the event, and is
when the athletes get their stuffed tiger.
And it’s not just any stuffed tiger. In a news release from last
December, the IOC explained that, « instead of flowers, medalists
at the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 will be given a doll of the Games’ mascot
Soohorang. »
A fan takes a selfie with
Olympic mascot Soohorang. Brad
Barket/Getty Images
The white tiger is considered South Korea’s « guardian animal, » according to
the IOC. The name Soohorang also has significance: « Soohoo » means
protection in Korean, and « rang » is part of the Korean word for
tiger.
The tiger’s attire also nods to Korean history. Each one is
wearing a hat with a paper flower known as an « uhsahwa. » The
official Pyeongchang website says that the uhsahwa was bestowed to
people who passed national exams during the Joseon Dynasty,
which spanned from 1392-1910.
US
snowboarder Red Gerard posing with his stuffed tiger, left, and
with his gold medal, right. Lee
Jin-man/AP and Dan Istitene/Getty Images
Slate reports that, in the Winter Olympics, it’s traditional for
all the day’s medalists to receive their hardware in a
nightly joint ceremony. This is different from the
Summer Olympics, when athletes receive their medals right after
the conclusion of their events. The reason for this difference is
at least partly logistical. According to Slate, since the Summer
Games has more sports and more athletes, a nightly ceremony would
be a really lengthy affair.
In Pyeongchang, these ceremonies take place at Medal
Plaza every night of the games, according to the IOC.
Here’s what the podium
looks like at Medal Plaza. Adam
Pretty/Getty Images
Unfortunately, this makes it more complicated to watch athletes
get their medals — but diehard fans can download the Medal Plaza schedule
from the official Pyeongchang website. NBC is also posting videos of some medal
ceremonies on its Olympics website.
Want more? Read all of our coverage of the Winter
Olympics here .
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