South Korea is preparing to welcome the world, with Wednesday marking just 100 days until the start of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — South Korea is preparing to welcome the world, with Wednesday marking 100 days until the start of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
Here are 18 things to know about the Games:
1. The Olympic flame will begin making its way around South Korea this week.
The relay’s theme is “Let Everyone Shine,” and about 7,500 torchbearers will participate.
Along its path to PyeongChang, the torch will travel on a sailboat, a zip-wire and a steam train before being carried by a robot to the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony on Feb. 9.
2. There are no worries about construction delays this time around.
The PyeongChang 2018 venues are mostly complete, and some Team USA members who recently visited like what they’ve seen. Talking about her run on the halfpipe during a test event, snowboarder Chloe Kim called the venue “amazing, and that actually got me really pumped for the Olympics.”
Athletes were also happy with the snow last winter, and organizers are promising plenty of good powder for the Games.
3. Expect lots of nods to Korean culture during the opening ceremony, but other details are being kept tightly under wraps.
The Olympic cauldron has already been installed, but who will light the flame remains a mystery. One of the favorites is Yuna Kim, South Korea’s beloved gold-medal-winning figure skater.
4. The slogan for the city of PyeongChang is “Happy 700” — a nod to the area’s average elevation of 700 meters (765 yards) above sea level, which is believed by many South Koreans to be the perfect location for people to live in unison with nature and culture.
5. The Games’s 13 venues will be spread across two areas. The PyeongChang Mountain Cluster will host the skiing and sliding events, while the Gangneung Coastal Cluster will be home to figure skating, hockey, curling and short-track speed skating.
6. PyeongChang will boast the most gold medals in Winter Games history, with 102.
The front of the medal features the Olympic rings logo and diagonal lines symbolizing discipline and determination. The back has the emblem for the Games and the name of each event. Around the edge are Korean consonants meant to represent the effort of the athletes.
The teal and red ribbon is a traditional textile embroidered with patterns to represent the refined beauty of the host country.
