Tuesday, February 20, 2018

PyeongChang, South Korea ~ Host Country of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games

This small city edging the Taeback Mountains and whose peninsula borders the East Sea, is home to several temples. It is about 180 kilometres southeast of Seoul, the capital city of The Republic ofSouth Korea. PyeongChang is also hosting the 2018 Paralympics. The city's elevation is approximately 700 metres (2,300 feet) above sea level. From my observation, PyeongChang was ready and waiting for the athletes and the thousands of visiting spectators ~ well ahead of Opening Day!
Although 14 hours ahead of our time zone here,
their warmest months are July and August
and like our coldest months of January and February.
High-speed rail opened from December 22, 2017 for the 2018 Olympic Games. Olympic venues and 'Dream Program' in preparation, the region has built facilities including hotels and a world-class ski resort named Alpensia. The 'Dream Program' (a legacy of the 2010 bid), has mounted its 5th sports and cultural program inviting 123 participants from 31 countries who were invited because they live where there is no snowfall and have no opportunity to participate in the winter sports.

Trains, buses (including inter-city buses) have been increased as well as roads and expressways. What this small city of 43,703 (as of 2014) has done in preparation is amazing! At 700 meters above sea level, it is known as “The Happy 700.” Distance to the East Sea (known also as Sea of Japan) is 601 kilometres.
The Opening Ceremony, intrically assembled and all segments running like clock-work,
the 92 participating nations moved with enthusiasm from outside zero temperatures
into the main venue. Canada's 225 athletes: the largest contingent ever sent to Winter Olympics!

Team Figure Skating Competition”
Heading into the last Winter Olympics (in Sochi, Russia),
Canada's figure skaters didn't know what to expect from the newly created 'teams event.'
It was uncharted territory ~ completely designed to award countries
for the 'depth of their talent' instead of just dishing out medals for top individuals.
10 nations in PyeongChang competed in this event.
Each of the 4 disciplines would be awarded 10 points for the winner, second place earning 9,
third with 8 points...and so on down to 1 point.
The four disciplines: pairs...single men's...single women's...dance pairs. Each participating country came with their selected contestants. After the first 2 disciplines, Canada was first. Not verified yet, it seems Canada won this event with 23 total points. An interesting event for all spectators!

Ten Memories to Last an Olympic Lifetime
In the Burlington Post's February 8th edition, Steve Milton, a sport's journalist wrote:
“Out of a suitcase full of memories covering eight Olympic Winter Games,
I select 10 of the most indelible impressions.”
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean ~ Sarajevo, 1984: The ice dancers' superlative programs, it didn't really resonate until the first Winter Olympics held behind the Iron Curtain. Bolero, their single-themed, single-tuned, free dance was a masterpiece of interpretation, innovation and building to a musical and emotinal crescendo. It was the culmination of their brilliant amateur careers which would change the world of ice-dancing. They received 6.0 for artistic merit!

Brian Orser ~ Sarajevo 1984: After he finished 7th in the compulsory figures, cynical Canadian media paid no more attention to him. Anyone who understood the new ranking system (few of whom were in the media), knew that he could still win a silver medal, which no other Canadian male singles skater had ever done at the Olympics. Orser then beat eventual gold medalist Scott Hamilton in both the short program and the 'free skate' to claim the silver medal. His 'free skate' was technically arresting ~ and he landed the first triple Axel in Games history.
Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan ~ Lillehammer, 1994: Today, it's sort of in the current movie, I Tonya. It seems somewhat humourous now, but the old reality is that someone assaulted an athlete with the intent of keeping her out of the Games. Kerrigan managed to train enough to win silver, but Harding skated poorly and had a skate-lace malfunction.

Ross Rebagliati ~ Nagano, 1998: It was a tremendous, multi-layered story to cover: the first men's snowboarding gold medalist ever ~ and he tests 'positive' for pot? His gold medal was restored on a technicality. Snowboarding and its mountain-culture kin have re-calibrated the Games. (Pot is now banned only during competition.)

Steve Bradbury ~ Salt Lake City, 2002: His win was so bizarre, his name is used as a verb in his native Australia. “To Bradbury” means to win against all odds. He captured Australia's first-ever Winter Olympics gold when all 4 men ahead of him in the 'short track' speed skating's 1,000 metres, fell on a crash at the very last corner. Bradbury, in 5th and last place, 30 metres back, saw the opportunity to the finish line as the fallen skaters all slid to the boards.

Daniele Sauvageau and Patrick Quinn, in Salt Lake City 2002: Two of the greatest coaching performances, ever, as Canada ~ Gold-medal deprived for a half century of Olympic hockey, won two games within three days. With the help of loonies under center ice, Quinn's charges won (50 years to the exact day, after the Edmonton Mercurys won Canada's last gold medal.)
Sauvageau kept her team cool, focused and confident to win 3-2!

Shaun White ~ Vancouver, 2010: Shaun,the iconic snow-boarder and figure skater, Yu-Na were the most dominant athletes at these X-Games. Shaun scored 46.8 points (out of 50) on his first Vancouver run (clearly enough to win), but on his second run, did his famous Double McTwist 1260 to win his second halfpipe gold medal in two Olympics.

Sidney Crosby ~ Vancouver, 2010: Even some fans heard Sidney Crosby yelling, “Iggy, Iggy, Iggy” just before, to Jarome Ignia who got him the puck to send in alone on U.S.goalie, Ryan Miller, for the goal at 7:40 of overtime, which gave Canada the gold medal in the very last second of competition!

The Emotions ~ Vancouver, 2010: It happens at every Olympics where Canada won its first Olympic Gold Medal on home soil, but 14 of them. Two of the most memorable were Scott Moir, who'd just joined life-long skating partner, Tessa Virtue as the first North Americans to win the Olympic ice-dancing title! (Previously won by Russia and/or other European country.)

Laura Fortino and Marie-Philip Poulin ~ Sochi, 2014: Americans still can't believe they lost!!!
Hamilton's Fortino, playing defensively all tournament, heard team-mates yell, “Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!”with just 55 seconds left before a 'shoot-out'! It was one of the most dramatic hockey games in women's hockey...when the pass to Marie-Philip Poulin, scored the winning goal!

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...February 11, 2018

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