With the Winter Olympics still a year way, preparations are hitting a snag. South Korea is currently in political disarray and the hosting of the event in Pyongyang is facing uncertainty.
One year before the holding of the Winter Olympics, South Korea finds itself in political turmoil. Due to the situation, holding a winter sports event may be the last thing on the mind of the Korean government. As reported by Time, South Koreans were hoping that having the Winter Olympics held there would pave for their recognition as a top level sports nation.
"The Winter Olympics will let us show that we have reached the level of an advanced nation," said Choi Kwang-shik, a former minister of culture, sports and tourism who teaches at Korea University. South Korea is not new to holding sports events. It played host to the Olympics, two Asian Games, the 2002 World Cup, and was co-host to the 2002 Soccer World Cup. .
Aside from the uncertainty brought about by the political situation in South Korea, there are also uncertainties on the number of countries that will show up. The US hockey team is bent on competing in Pyongyang. A report in the Los Angeles Times revealed that Russia, which was banned from competing in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, is also in doubt for the event.
According to the website of NBC Olympics, a total of 15 sports will be contested in PyeongChang. A total of 102 medals will be awarded. Six new medal events will be making their debut in the 2018 Winter Olympics and these are
- Alpine skiing: Team event
- Curling: Mixed doubles
- Snowboarding: Men's big air
- Snowboarding: Women's big air
- Speed skating: Men's mass start
- Speed skating: Women's mass start
Two events played in the last Winter Olympics in Sochi namely men's and women's snowboarding parallel slalom have been scratched off.
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