International events are amazing for the cities hosting them -- until they're over. Whether it's the Olympics or the World Cup, one of the greatest questions host cities must face is: What to do with stadiums afterward? In PyeongChang, they have an answer for the $60 million stadium that they're building for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics: Repurpose it entirely.South Korea is trying to avoid a situation like 2016's Summer Games in Rio, where stadiums fell into disrepair after use. Maracana was a centerpiece of the Summer Olympics in Rio, but six months after its use, it was abandoned. The term for these abandoned stadiums in Brazil is "white elephant.The most infamous example of these white elephant stadiums in Brazil is the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, which faced pushback during its construction. It was a $900 million stadium that journalist Eric Zambon of the Jornal de Brasília said did nothing to earn its tag. "By the time they were building it, everyone hated it," Zambon told Sports Illustrated in 2016. "It's the highest cost ever [in Brazil] to build a stadium. And for no reason. You see the stadium. It's a great venue, but you don't see where all the money has gone. People also hate it because we have so many problems in the city with hospitals and schools, and then we have a huge stadium that goes way beyond the level of the league that we have here.South Korea will have no such dispute. The Olympic stadium will have four uses -- the opening and closing ceremonies for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics -- before being completely renovated. The stadium will be changed to a 5,000-10,000 seat capacity, along with an exhibition center and a history museum for the 2018 Games, according to the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games.France did something similar for the 1992 games in Albertsville, when the Olympic Stadium was built and subsequently torn down. It was the primary host venue for the games -- similar to how PyeongChang's stadium will be used.PyeongChang has 13 different venues that will be hosting the Winter Games, including Gangneung Ice Arena; Gangneung Oval and Gangneung Hockey Centre. All of these complement Gangneung Gymnasium (repurposed to Gangneung Curling Centre for the games) to create Gangneung Olympic Park. The group is unsure about what it will do with the ice arena, which will serve as the primary venue for speedskating, after the Olympics conclude. The hockey arena was also built for the Olympics. With Russia banned from the 2018 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee is expected to issue a list Saturday of athletes from the nation who have satisfied the requirements to compete for a neutral team.Earlier this week, Russian officials told reporters they have submitted 169 names for inclusion on the designated "Olympic Athlete from Russia" roster.However, we believe it is possible that some athletes would decide against participation as a gesture of solidarity," Stanislav Pozdnyakov, vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee, was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency.Russia was banned from the Games in response to an ongoing doping scandal that has involved widespread cheating by athletes, coaches and officials throughout the country. Investigators have found evidence that Russian laboratory workers manipulated samples to help their athletes avoid detection.The IOC created the neutral squad for athletes who can prove they have competed cleanly. Those athletes will wear specially designed uniforms and march under a neutral flag at the opening and closing ceremonies.Viktor Ahn, a six-time gold medalist in short track speedskating, is reportedly not on the list and has demanded an explanation from the IOC.The Games are scheduled for Feb. 9-25 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The least sexy part of the Olympic process is when the games are over and giant, state-of-the-art stadiums remain standing often in sparsely populated areas with no potential tenant in site. This conundrum was highly publicized after the 2016 Games in Rio, when the Marcana stadium deteriorated into a ghost town stadium shortly after the games. South Korean officials are determined to avoid a scenario in a the stadium serves as a physical reminder that the money invested into hosting the Games doesn't always produce a return. Their solution? Tear the thing down. That's apparently the plan—the 35,000-seat Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang will reportedly be demolished after just four uses. The $100 million venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics and Paralympics before it's torn down completely, according to the Associated Press. It's a decisive move, for sure, but it's not unprecedented—the Olympic Stadium in Grenoble, France was torn down after the 1968 Games, as was the host venue for the 1992 Games in Albertville, France. Some venues have been successfully converted in functional stadiums with tenants, such as Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Stadium, which was turned into Turner Field and now Georgia State Stadium. But the problem in PyeongChang is that the stadium sits in a mountainous county of just 40,000 people. There are no winter sports that could fill a 35,000-seat stadium with any regularity, and the venue just isn't close enough to a city that houses a professional sports team.Additionally, this Olympic bid was headed by the province of Gangwon, not the federal government, which footed the bill for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 2002 World Cup. So they're largely on their own when it comes to financing, and keeping a stadium tenable requires costly upkeep.Gangwon officials are unsure of what to do with the other stadiums that have been built for the games, as well. There was even a proposal to turn a speed-skating venue into a warehouse for frozen fish, but that's apparently been ruled out. Russian athletes who compete as independents at next month’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics cannot grab a Russian flag or stage alternate medal ceremonies as part of conduct guidelines issued on Friday. The International Olympic Committee, which in December banned Russia from the Feb. 9-25 Games in South Korea because of the country’s doping violations, has invited 169 carefully screened Russian athletes who will compete under the Olympic flag as Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR).Russia was banned over “systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system at the 2014 Sochi Games.According to the IOC’s “Conduct Guidelines for Olympic Athlete from Russia”, athletes must wear only the authorized OAR uniforms and refrain from any public form of publicity associated with the Russian “flag, anthem, emblem and symbols”.They must also “not solicit or accept the national flag, anthem, emblem and symbols at any Olympic site,” the IOC said.Athletes and officials are also not allowed to stage or take part in ‘alternate’ victory ceremonies organized by the Russian Olympic Committee or a third party.The IOC said it would be monitoring the application of these guidelines through a taskforce, led by IOC deputy Director General Pere Miro and sports Director Kit McConnell.The suspended Russian Olympic Committee will also be responsible for their fans’ behavior inside the venues and any display of national flags or emblems even at non-official venues must have IOC approval.The IOC has said if Russia respected the decisions it could potentially be admitted back under its own flag at the Games’ closing ceremony. The resale of tickets for the PyeongChang Olympics at a premium is punishable by a fine of up to 5 million won ($4,700), according to article 92 of the Special Act on Support for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.Joongonara, Korea’s biggest e-market for secondhand goods, has cautioned its some 16 million users against trading Olympic tickets on its website, relaying the notice sent out by the PyeongChang Organizing Committee.

The notice makes it clear that trading the tickets through nonofficial channels go against the International Olympic Committee’s regulations, even if the person is selling them at their original prices. Among tickets listed on the resale website are those for the opening ceremony, which range between 220,000 won ($207) and 1.5 million won, depending on the location of the seat, and those for the closing ceremony, which cost between 220,000 won to 950,000 won.Tickets for figure skating events -- one of the most popular winter sports in Korea -- range between 150,000 won and 600,000 won.The cheapest tickets to the Olympics cost 20,000 won for the biathlon, cross-country skiing and skeleton events, and the preliminary round of the women’s ice hockey tournament.Tickets can also be reserved offline at Seoul City Hall, Gangneung City Hall, Gangwon Province Office, Incheon and Gimpo airports and at 19 train stations via cash or Visa card.The mercury plunged to -21.9 degrees Celsius in Pyeongchang on Wednesday, brought down to as low as -36.4 degrees by winds blowing at a speed of 11.4 m/s. If the area is hit by such an extreme cold during the Winter Olympics, it could seriously affect the event. Weather is one of the biggest factors that will determine the success of the games.The organizing committee is preparing for the worst with five scenarios using data compiled over the last 30 years.The biggest impediment would be heavy snowfall. Some 174.1 cm of snow fell in Pyeongchang and Jeongseon during from Feb. 9 to 25, 2014.It will be impossible to use snowplows or other snow-clearing equipment on the alpine slopes of Jeongseon, and people would have to be mobilized to shovel snow. Taking visitors from railway stations or parking lots to the venues would also take a lot of effort. The committee will put personnel and snow-clearing equipment on 24/7 standby during the Olympics.Sudden gales are the worst enemy of ski jumping. Ski jumping will be suspended when winds blow at a speed of more than 3 m/s. The organizers built a windbreak fence around the venue in November 2016 that can reduce wind speed effectively from 18 m/s to 2.4 m/s.This is copyrighted material owned by Digital Chosun Inc. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.The mercury plunged to -21.9 degrees Celsius in Pyeongchang on Wednesday, brought down to as low as -36.4 degrees by winds blowing at a speed of 11.4 m/s. If the area is hit by such an extreme cold during the Winter Olympics, it could seriously affect the event. Weather is one of the biggest factors that will determine the success of the games.The organizing committee is preparing for the worst with five scenarios using data compiled over the last 30 years.The biggest impediment would be heavy snowfall. Some 174.1 cm of snow fell in Pyeongchang and Jeongseon during from Feb. 9 to 25, 2014.It will be impossible to use snowplows or other snow-clearing equipment on the alpine slopes of Jeongseon, and people would have to be mobilized to shovel snow. Taking visitors from railway stations or parking lots to the venues would also take a lot of effort. The committee will put personnel and snow-clearing equipment on 24/7 standby during the Olympics.Sudden gales are the worst enemy of ski jumping. Ski jumping will be suspended when winds blow at a speed of more than 3 m/s. The organizers built a windbreak fence around the venue in November 2016 that can reduce wind speed effectively from 18 m/s to 2.4 m/s.This is copyrighted material owned by Digital Chosun Inc. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.Biting cold wave could also affect the opening and closing ceremonies seriously. The best temperature condition for outdoor events is between -5 degrees and -10 degrees.Most outdoor events, including the biathlon races, will be suspended if the mercury drops below -20 degrees, no matter how clear the sky is.The committee has built warming shelters in and near the venues.Fog formed by low-hanging snow clouds is another problem. At least two gates marked by wide flags tied to pairs of poles must be in clear sight for an alpine skiing event. It is impossible to conduct the biathlon unless athletes can see the shooting target 50 m away. Nobody knows what will happen since fog formed in Pyeongchang for an average of 3.8 days during the previous Winter Olympic games in other host countries.Another possible headache will be rain. If the weather warms and rain falls, high temperatures and humidity could cause damage to indoor ice rinks as well as outdoor snow events.The committee has a staff of 73 weather experts. They will measure temperatures, sky, humidity, and wind speeds, using four automated weather sensors and 25 integrated sensors inside sports arenas. In the event of bad weather, the committee will discuss rescheduling with the International Olympic Committee and the international organization of each sports event.But it will be still impossible to prepare for all eventualities.Lim Jang-ho of the committee said, "It's possible to forecast weather for the next three to four days in the flatland. But it's difficult to predict it in mountainous areas like Pyeongchang. God help us manage the important Olympics smoothly and safely!This is copyrighted material owned by Digital Chosun Inc. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.The 2018 Winter Olympics will be over sooner than you think, and you better be sure to set your calendar for the closing ceremony. (Why are the Olympics so short, by the way? We vote to make them at least a few months long!The final Olympic event is an opportunity for the athletes to be celebrated one last time before they return to their countries, some with gold medals and most others with the memory of having represented their nation at the important international event. Each host country does things a little differently that night, but you can expect the party to be a tribute to South Korea and its culture. At the closing ceremony, this year's host country will also hand over the baton — eh, torch — to the 2020 Summer Olympics host (Tokyo) in what is sure to be an exciting moment.How to Watch?NBC and NBC affiliates will be playing the Olympic Games from beginning to end, with the closing ceremony scheduled for Feb. 25 at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium in South Korea.Make a date with your favorite people, order in, cozy up, and show off your new expertise in luging, skeleton racing, and figure skating. Before the American athletes head home, watch them dance and celebrate while covered in medals and brand new name recognition.What to Expect?During the opening ceremony, we watch athletes from nations around the world march into the stadium — this is also when, in the past, you have developed deep crushes on hot athletes — and prepare for competition. The closing ceremony is basically the same, but in reverse. The nations will file out of the stadium and the torch will, quite literally, be passed to Tokyo.While opening and closing festivities are generally kept secret until the big moment, expect to be dazzled by South Korea's display of culture and history. Former closing ceremonies have given the world a great show, touting the best of the host country, and South Korea will likely do the same.

For some athletes, this 2018 Winter Olympics may be their one and only shot at gold. The closing ceremony is the world's chance to say goodbye to the household names it's cheered for and cried with for two weeks. It's a can't-miss event for anyone who loves the Winter Games and will be impatiently waiting for the next event in the Summer of 2020.The 2018 Olympics take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the first Winter Games in the country’s history. From Feb. 9-24, nations from all over the world will compete in predominantly cold-weather sports such as hockey, curling, figure skating, and much, much more.

While some events begin in advance, the Feb. 9 opening ceremony at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium signals the official beginning of the Games.Known as a can't-miss cultural spectacle, the opening ceremony is a made-for-television event which includes a parade with all 93 participating countries, an artistic program featuring an assortment of visual and musical performances unique to South Korea and, of course, the lighting of the Olympic torch.In the United States, a 14-hour time difference between South Korea and the East Coast means watching the Games live will be challenge at times, but Olympic enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to. NBC, the official U.S. broadcast partner, hasn’t aired an opening ceremony live since the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver and will continue that trend in 2018, but there are other ways to tune in.Here is everything you need to know to watch the opening ceremony.How to watch the opening ceremony live?There are two opportunities for viewers in the U.S. to catch the opening ceremony, hosted by NBC's Katie Couric and Mike Tirico. Where is the opening ceremony held?Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, a 35,000-seat open-air pentagonal stadium, is the primary venue for the 2018 Games and the site of the opening and closing ceremonies.North and South Korea announced a combined Olympic team for the first time ever, a symbolic gesture in attempt to thaw decades of tension between the nations. The two Koreas plan to march together under a unified flag at the opening ceremony and also agreed to form a joint women’s ice hockey team. A delegation of 22 North Koreans were given exceptional late entries by the International Olympic Committee, including 12 women's hockey players. They rest will compete in figure skating, short track speed skating, Alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.Ralph Lauren is back in charge of creating the outfits for the U.S. Olympians to wear during their march. The company has released what the closing ceremony outfits will look like, but has not revealed anything about what will be worn on Feb. 9.In Sochi, Ralph Lauren made headlines with the choice to go with the patriotic cardigans for those opening ceremonies.The Telegraph has reported the ceremony will broadly follow the same structure as the show put on by the Russians in Sochi four years ago.The opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang will take place on Friday, Feb. 9 at 6 a.m. ET. The games will start on Thursday, Feb. 8 with curling and ski jumping getting underway.There were initially plans to hold the opening and closing ceremonies in Gangneung, a coastal city about a 60-mile drive from PyeonChang, but officials decided to keep the ceremonies in the host city. Instead of renovating a stadium on Gangneung, they decided to build a new venue in PyeongChang. Gangneung will host indoor events such as hockey and curling.The closing ceremony for the games will be Sunday, Feb. 25, the final day of the competition.This is the second time South Korea has hosted the Olympics, with the first coming in 1988 when Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics.The joint Korean march to start the 2018 Winter Olympics, as agreed to by the two sides on Wednesday, has been a long time coming for two countries that have been technically at war for over six decades.Officials from the two Koreas reached the agreement at the border village of Panmunjom during a working-level meeting. It followed high-level talks on Jan. 9, during which South Korea first proposed the joint march.North Korea didn't immediately respond to the suggestion at the time, although it did offer to send a delegation of athletes and high-ranking officials, cheering and performing art squads, taekwondo demonstration teams and journalists. The two sides scheduled a separate meeting to discuss issues on North Korea's participation, including the joint march. And North Korea agreed to the South's earlier proposal, setting up a monumental occasion for the Feb. 9 opening ceremony at the first Winter Olympics to take place on Korean soil. This will be North Korea's first participation in an Olympics held in South Korea. It boycotted the 1988 Seoul Summer Games.It will be the first joint Korean march into an opening ceremony at an international sports competition in 11 years and the 10th overall.The first came at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. Athletes from the Koreas also walked in together at the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and the 2006 Torino Winter Games.There have been joint marches at two Asian Summer Games and two Asian Winter Games, along with a Summer Universiade and an East Asian Games. The last one came at the 2007 Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China.Inter-Korean cooperation, sports-related or otherwise, had been virtually non-existent under the past two conservative regimes in Seoul. After liberal-minded President Moon Jae-in took office last May, South Korea adopted a more conciliatory stance, even amid North Korea's military provocations.As early as June last year, South Korea raised the possibility of forming a joint Korean team at the PyeongChang Olympics. Both Moon and Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan called on North Korea to participate in the competition, saying its presence would help improve strained inter-Korean ties.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also supported South Korea's overtures, saying such ideas reflect the Olympic spirit of promoting peace and goodwill. PyeongChang's Olympic organizers say they've been making preparations for possible North Korean participation in the quadrennial event, using manuals from the 2002 Asian Games and the 2003 Universiade as references.North Korea currently doesn't have any qualified athletes for PyeongChang but should have little problem sending at least a few to a select events in PyeongChang. The IOC has pledged its support to ensure North Korea's participation and may well grant the country some wild-card entries.The North Korean pairs figure skating team of Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik qualified for a spot last fall, but North Korea missed an Oct. 30 deadline to submit the tandem's entry. Should the IOC decide to open up extra spots for North Korean athletes, Ryom and Kim are prime candidates to receive one.The Koreas also agreed to put together a joint women's hockey team at PyeongChang 2018, another major development from Wednesday, and the size of the roster will be determined in the coming days.Officials from the two countries' national Olympic bodies will attend a meeting chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach on Saturday at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, where they will look to hammer out the details of North Korea's participation, including protocols such as flag, uniform and anthem.At Wednesday's meeting, the Koreas agreed to march in under the Korean Unification Flag, which bears the image of the Korean Peninsula colored blue against a white background.The Korean Unification Flag represented the two countries at all previous joint marches, but PyeongChang 2018 presents a unique problem because South Korea is the host. Raising the Unification Flag would make South Korea the first Olympic host not to bear its own flag at an opening ceremony.North Korea has won a few medals at Summer Olympics over the years but has been invisible in previous Winter Games. It didn't send any athletes to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, four years ago and won no medals in the two competitions before that. North Korea has won just one silver and one bronze in its eight Winter Games appearances so far.At Torino 2006, the only previous Winter Olympics where the Korean athletes marched in together, there were 44 South Koreans and 12 North Koreans on hand at the opening ceremony.In PyeongChang, North Korea's cheering squad and other delegates could easily outnumber the country's athletes. During Wednesday's talks, North Korea offered to send a cheering team of 230.At the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, North Korea had 362 athletes and 288 members of its cheering squad. At the Summer Universiade the following year in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, North Korea was represented by 221 athletes along with a cheering team of 306.The last time North Korea took part in a multi-sport competition in the South was at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. It had 273 athletes then, with no cheering team, but it sent three high-ranking officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, now de facto No. 2 man in Pyongyang, to the closing ceremony.Athletes from North Korea will participate in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said Saturday.North Korea will send 22 athletes who will compete in three sports, Bach said, following a meeting between delegations from the two Koreas and Olympic officials in Lausanne, Switzerland.Athletes from the North and South will also march together under one flag at the opening ceremony for the Games in Pyeongchang, which begin February 9, Bach said.This team will enter the Olympic Stadium under the Korean unification flag. I'm sure that this will be a very emotional moment not only for all Koreans but also for the entire world," Bach said.He also confirmed that, for the first time in Olympic history, the two nations will enter a joint women's ice hockey team under the name Korea and represented by the unification flag.Of the 22 North Korean athletes, 15 will be women and seven will be men, the IOC said. They will be accompanied by 24 coaches and 21 media representatives.The athletes will compete in ice hockey, ice skating and skiing across five disciplines -- ice hockey, figure skating, short track speedskating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing -- the IOC said.

Bach said reaching this outcome "was not an easy journey" but that he was proud of what the representatives of the two Koreas, the IOC and the Pyeongchang 2018 Organizing Committee had achieved.The proposals from North and South Korea had to be approved by the IOC and Pyeongchang committee before they could go ahead.North Korea's unexpected participation, negotiated in talks at the heavily fortified border between the two nations since the start of the year, has been hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough that could herald peace on the Korean Peninsula.However, others fear that South Korea has fallen for a North Korean charm offensive and warned the international community not to be complacent.In his remarks, Bach said the IOC had been working for several years to address the "special situation" of having the 2018 Winter Olympics on the Korean Peninsula.Let us not forget that such an agreement would have seemed impossible only a few weeks ago," he said as he thanked the two governments for their embrace of the Olympic spirit.The Olympic Games are always about building bridges, they never erect walls. The Olympic spirit is about respect, dialogue and understanding. The Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018 are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean Peninsula and inviting the world to join in a celebration of hope."Following the talks, the IOC outlined details of how the 22 North Korean athletes will be accommodated in the Games, only weeks before they start.The women's ice hockey team will be created by adding 12 players and one official from North Korea to the existing South Korean Olympic squad of 23 players, the IOC said.In the interests of fairness, only 22 players will be entitled to play in each match, in line with the other teams, it said. They will be selected by the head coach from South Korea and must include three North Korean players for each game.Other North Korean athletes now allowed to compete in the Games include the figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik, who had qualified for the Winter Olympics in September but were not registered by their country's Olympic committee before the deadline.Two additional places have been allocated in short track speedskating, the IOC said, with one going to Jong Kwang-bom and the other to Choe Un-song, both men.Three places have been allocated in cross-country skiing, with two men and one woman to compete, and another three in alpine skiing, again with two men and one woman to take part, the IOC said. The IOC had previously approved the two countries jointly participating in Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, something that happened during the Sydney Summer Games in 2000.But the South Korean Unification Ministry announced an unprecedented range of joint activities between the countries for the Games following talks Wednesday at the Demilitarized Zone. North and South Korean skiers will train together at a resort in North Korea before the Olympics start, and performers from the two countries will also hold a joint cultural event at Mount Kumgang.In addition, an art troupe, a 30-strong North Korean taekwondo demonstration team and press corps will travel south, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters in Seoul.A delegation of 150 North Korean athletes and supporters will attend the Paralympics, Seoul's Unification Ministry said.An advance inspection team for the art troupe will travel from North Korea on Sunday, the ministry said Saturday. A day earlier, the ministry said North Korea had canceled the advance trip, then scheduled for Saturday, without an explanation.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said he did not rule out the possibility that a North Korean delegation could visit Moscow ahead of the Games.In an interview with Russia's state-run TASS news agency published Saturday, Morgulov said the main focus of any meetings would be on bilateral issues. He said the recent talks between the two Koreas indicated that tensions would be reduced during the Winter Olympics.In our opinion, the direct dialogue that started between Seoul and Pyongyang, as well as the agreements that were reached during it, give grounds to believe that during the Olympic Games, the situation on the peninsula will be relatively stable," Morgulov said.The government will seek to make North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics an opportunity to get the North and U.S. to talk on denuclearization of the former to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, various ministries said Friday.The common goal of ministries of foreign affairs, defense, unification as well as culture and sports was delivered to Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon as part of their policy briefings for 2018.The foreign ministry stated it would make efforts to obtain understanding and support from the U.S. and the international community to enable the current dialogue with North Korea become a lasting process to peacefully resolve Pyongyang's nuclear program.

We will concentrate diplomatic efforts to enable dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., to create a virtuous cycle in Pyongyang-Seoul as well as Pyongyang-Washington talks," the ministry said.At the same time, it will seek to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation with the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, the four states involved in the shelved six-party talks, alongside the two Koreas, aimed at denuclearizing the North, the ministry said.Since around 20 heads of state are set to visit Korea during the Olympics, the ministry stated it will thoroughly prepare for summits as well as high-level diplomatic events, to discuss the issue of peace on the peninsula.The unification ministry stated it would seek to realize its plans to achieve peace between the Koreas through the North's participation in the Games, and engage in dialogue and cooperation for the development of inter-Korean relations.At the same time, it stated the need to make progress in deterring North Korea's nuclear program along with the dialogue.If there is no progress on North Korea's nuclear issue, there will be concerns about a rift in Seoul-Washington relations as well as a setback in cooperation toward sanctions placed on Pyongyang," the ministry said.Moreover, the ministry will draw up a plan to economically integrate the North and the South to prepare for unification. It will also boost support for North Korean defectors here.The sports ministry said it would make efforts to resume cultural exchange between the Koreas, saying the joint cultural event to take place at Mount Geumgang ahead of the Olympics would enable this to happen.While the two Koreas agreed on the athletes' joint entrance at the opening and closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, the ministry stated it would seek another joint entrance in the Jakarta Palembang Asian Games in August. Furthermore, it will push for a joint-hosting of the World Cup in 2030 by North and South Koreas, China and Japan.The defense ministry said it will provide military personnel assistance for terrorism prevention and security for a safe Olympics.The ministry also pledged rotational deployment of U.S. defense assets to deter the threats of North Korea's nuclear program and weapons of mass destruction. In addition, the ministry said it will focus on easing tension through inter-Korean military talks, which the Koreas agreed to resume.It said it would reduce military personnel to 550,000 by 2022, from the current 610,000. It will also shorten the mandatory military service to 18 months from the current 21 months.The Koreas have held three meetings since Jan. 9 on the North's participation in the Olympics. So far, they have agreed for North and South Korean athletes to make a joint entrance under a unification flag, and to field an inter-Korean women's ice hockey team.Pyongyang is set to send a large-scale delegation including a 230-member cheering squad, 140-member music troupe, a taekwondo demonstration team, athletes, high-level officials and reporters.City governments that host the Olympics often face a dilemma—after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to build arenas and event spaces, what do you do with them once the games are over?For South Korean officials mulling the future of the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, the answer is straightforward—just tear it down.The stadium, costing 116 billion won ($109 million), will be used only four times in the course of the games—twice in February, for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, and then twice in March, for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympics. After that, it will be demolished.With 35,000 seats, it’s one of several new facilities that the government has built to accommodate the games, according to Joongang Iibo (link in Korean). There’s also the Gangneung Speed Skating Center (126.4 billion won), the Gangneung Ice Arena (134 billion won), the Gangneung Hockey Center (106.4 billion won), the Kwandong Hockey Center (62.7 billion won), the Jeongseon Alpine Center (203.4 billion won), and Olympic Sliding Center (114.1 billion won). The Olympic Village, which will house the athletes, is also new (link in Korean).According to the Associated Press, local officials are stumped as to what to do with some of these other facilities once the games are over. Failed proposals include converting the speed skating arena into a gambling venue for betting (on skating) and turning one of the hockey centers into a home for a corporate hockey team.During inspections of the facilities in August, officials from the International Olympic Committee warned the organizers that the facilities risked becoming “white elephants” after the games.It’s not uncommon for Olympics venues to fall into disarray once the games are over. In a best-case scenario, they become sporting facilities that get used frequently: The Centennial Olympic Stadium, built for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, was converted into a home for the Atlanta Braves baseball team, where they resided for about 20 years.But often the venues are neglected. After a major reconstruction of Rio de Janeiro’s decades-old Maracanã for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, the facility quickly deteriorated, suffering a worm invasion and rampant looting. In Athens, sites built for the 2004 games also rapidly decayed and plans to turn the 10,000-unit Olympic Village into a public housing development with schools and hospitals became mired in bureaucracy.Still, it’s unusual for the main Olympics stadium to be built and then knocked down as soon as the games are over. Among the long list of countries that have hosted games, France leads the way when it comes to bringing the wrecking ball. The Olympic Stadium for the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble was torn down immediately after the competition, as was the Théâtre des Cérémonies that hosted the opening and closing spectacles of the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville.Given Pyeongchang’s size—the county has a population of 45,000, just 10,000 more than seats in the Olympic Stadium—tearing the venue down might make more economic sense than paying to keep it up.Joint military exercises involving tens of thousands of troops from the United States and South Korea are set to resume after the 2018 Winter Olympics, a South Korean defense official said Friday.The US and South Korea agreed to put the annual military drills on hold after North and South Korea announced they were talking for the first time in two years. The initial talks involved the North's proposal to send an Olympic delegation to the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.The exercises, code-named Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, are carried out annually in March and April, usually drawing a fierce response from the North Korean regime.During last year's drills, Pyongyang launched multiple missile tests and held a massive artillery exercise at the end of April.Though it is too early to disclose the exact date and size of the planned joint exercises, they will be carried out after the Olympics," Choi Hyun-soo, spokeswoman for South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, told reporters.The 2018 Winter Olympics close at the end of February while the Winter Paralympics wrap up with a closing ceremony on March 18.When confirming plans to resume the exercises, US Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. Mackenzie told reporters Thursday the drills would start "immediately" after the Olympics.A separate South Korean defense official told CNN the joint exercises would not be scaled back despite the unusual delay.The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises will not be downsized nor (will the) exercises be merged into one," he said.North Korean state media KCNA released a statement from the country's permanent representative to the UN saying any new military drills would harm relations with Seoul.If the US truly wishes for the improvement of the North-South ties and has a willingness to provide a peaceful environment on the peninsula, it should completely halt the joint military exercises, not just postponing them," the KCNA statement said.An estimated 3,600 additional US service members were deployed to join the 28,000 US troops already based in South Korea during last year's drills, which included ground, air, naval and special operations field exercises.The United States and South Korea maintain that the annual exercises, which have been carried out regularly for nearly 40 years, are strictly defensive and non-provocative.Both exercises, according to US Forces Korea, are designed to "highlight the longstanding military partnership" between the two countries and improve stability and security on the Korean Peninsula.The announcement that the exercises will continue after the Games comes during a thaw in relations between the two Koreas, who will march together under a unified flag at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.The diplomatic breakthrough followed the first face-to-face meetings between representatives from North and South Korea in more than two years, held at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone between the two countries.Earlier this month, North Korean state media hailed the talks as "brilliant" for "national reunification." Both countries are still technically at war, having never signed a peace treaty following the end of hostilities in 1953.

What is it?

It's the official curtain-raiser for the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will be held in South Korea for the first time.Seoul was the host for the summer Olympics in 1988, but  Pyeongchang becomes the first South Korean city to stage the winter incarnation of the games.

When is it?

The opening ceremony will take place on Friday February 9, oddly one day after the first official events take place. The games' closing ceremony will then take place on Sunday, February 25.

What time will it begin?

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8pm local time in Pyeonchang.

Where will it be staged?

The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies - but the build up to the start of the games has been dogged by concerns that the venue will be too cold for spectators. The cold could ruin the entire opening party. The fate of the event is down to the mother nature,” said ruling party politician and Pyeongchang local Yeom Dong-yeol.

What to expect

The ceremony will broadly follow the same structure as the show put on by the Russians in Sochi four years ago.The symbolic release of pigeons has recently been adapted after a number of birds were accidentally incinerated when the Olympic torch was lit in the opening ceremony of the Seoul games.Following the unfortunate demise of several pigeons sitting on the edge of the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the Seoul Games, this part of the protocol was modified, but not eliminated," reads section four the IOC's guide to opening ceremonies.Today, the symbolic release of pigeons follows the lighting of the Olympic cauldron."Once the national anthems been played, the show begins. Usually, the content is kept secret until the last minute."The opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi adopted a historical theme, portraying Russian achievements such as industrialisation, space exploration and the foundation of St. Petersburg, and celebrating great authors and composers, all seen – in 13 distinct parts – through the eyes and dreams of a young girl named Lyubov (which means “love” in Russian).The 2018 Winter Olympics are set to begin in February and if you’re a sports fan, or, just enjoy watching athletes from around the world representing their countries while competing for Olympic medals, then the Pyeongchang Winter Games will keep you entertained throughout the month of February.Where are the 2018 Winter Olympics games held this year?This year, the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea which is located about 78 miles east (126 km) of Seoul, the country’s capital.When are the opening and closing ceremonies?The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony will begin on Friday, February 9 at 8 p.m. (Korean Standard Time). South Korea is 14 hours ahead of New York City (Eastern Standard Time) so that means, if you want to watch the 2018 Winter Olympics live on the East Coast, you’ll need to tune in at 6 a.m. Friday morning and catch a little bit of the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies before you head out for work.Closing ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics will be on Sunday, February 25. Meet Soohorang, the official mascot of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.If you’re wondering what the official mascot is for the 2018 Winter Olympics, it is a white tiger named Soohorang. According to the Olympic website, the white tiger is “closely associated with Korean mythology and culture” and is recognized as a symbol of “symbol of trust, strength and protection.When do the 2018 Winter Olympics games begin?The 2018 Winter Olympics games will begin on Saturday, February 10. Some of the medal competitions scheduled for Saturday are women’s speed Skating, men’s ski jumping and women’s biathlon. There are also a few qualifying events scheduled on February 8 -9, but the official start of medal competitions begin on February 10.The complete Pyeongchang Winter Olympics schedule can be found on the official 2018 Winter Olympics website.Aside from the usual Winter Olympics events such as skiing, bobsledding and figure skating, four new events have been added to the program.  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) added big air snowboarding, freestyle skiing, mass start speed skating and mixed doubles curling have been added to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.According to the IOC, the events were added based on “added value; youth appeal; attractiveness for TV, media and the general public; gender equality; minimum impact on the number of events and/or quotas; and infrastructure and operational cost and complexity.” Overall, the IOC wants to make the 2018 Winter Olympics a more enjoyable experience for viewers.So, what do the 2018 Winter Olympics medals look like?According to Lee Suk-woo, the selected medal designer for this year’s Winter Olympics the medals are representative of his homeland, Korea and are “a celebration and a lifetime of hard work and dedication for all the athletes who will receive and cherish them.”Watch the 2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics will be broadcast live across all time zones, giving viewers the opportunity to watch all of the events live from Pyeongchang, South Korea. This was a big issue during NBC’s coverage of last year’s Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. There was a mix of live broadcasts/streaming mixed in with tape-delayed broadcasts which caused confusion and spoiled event results for a lot of people. According to NBCUniversal, there will be more than 2,400 hours of Olympics coverage spread across their live television networks and streaming apps, so watching the 2018 Winter Olympics will be easy.With little time to spare, North and South Korea are preparing to hash out Kim Jong Un's offer to send a delegation to next month's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.Skeptics are calling the offer, floated by Kim during his annual televised New Year's address, a cynical tactic to drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul, while optimists see it as a sign of hope that Kim has decided to dial back his defiance and come in from the cold.The answer probably lies somewhere in between.But why, after a year marked by the test of his country's most powerful nuclear bomb to date and a record number of missile launches, is Kim starting off 2018 by proposing talks across the Demilitarized Zone?What’s on the table.Kim stressed in his speech that 2018 will be an important year for the Korean nation.The North will be marking the 70th anniversary of its Sept. 9 founding and the South's hosting of the games, Kim said, "will serve as a good occasion for demonstrating our nation's prestige" and "we earnestly wish the Olympic Games a success.To that end, he suggested Pyongyang send a delegation and "adopt other necessary measures." He presented all of it in a familiar framing — saying the Korean people must work together on their own toward reunification to "frustrate the schemes by anti-reunification forces within and without.In North Korea-speak, that means anti-Pyongyang hardliners in the South and the United States and its allies.Kim did not say what kind of a delegation he has in mind. But North Korea quickly restored a hotline with the South that had been cut off for two years to allow communications to resume. South Korean President Moon Jae-in applauded the gesture and the two sides are set to meet on Tuesday at the border village of Panmunjom for the time since December 2015.

Just about the time the Olympics will be wrapping up and the Paralympics getting underway, tens of thousands of U.S. and South Korean troops would normally be staging the world's biggest annual war games.This year, however, Moon convinced President Donald Trump to postpone them until everything is over.The exercises feature the United States' most advanced weaponry and in recent years have included training for "decapitation" strikes on Kim himself. In his New Year's address, Kim pointedly referred to that, claiming the U.S. can't launch an attack "on me or our country" now that North Korea has a viable nuclear deterrent.Kim would love to see the war games called off for good. Or at least scaled down.With their postponement, he might believe Moon may be willing to go further down that path. And if Moon isn't, Kim can say he tried and use that as a justification for launching more missiles or space-bound rockets and maybe even trying another nuclear test later this year.The bottom line: it never hurts to take Seoul's temperature every now and then.Engaging directly with Seoul does, in fact, tend to complicate things for Washington. Sanctions, meanwhile, are taking their toll. Easing tensions would give Kim breathing room to boost the domestic economy.One of his key projects — also mentioned in the New Year's speech — is developing tourism in the Wonsan-Kumgang area on North Korea's east coast. Kim already built a luxury ski resort there and doesn't want to see it go to waste. With Trump's North Korea travel ban now in effect, Pyongyang might be thinking of wooing tourists from the South.Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, had some success with that idea from the late 1990s until 2008, when a South Korean housewife was shot dead for wandering into a restricted zone.The North boycotted the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and instead hosted the World Festival of Youth and Students, a sort of socialist equivalent, the following year. The Koreas tried marching together under a "unification flag" in three Olympics, but that didn't stick. The blue-and-white flag last flew at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy.North Korea isn't a big Winter Olympics country to begin with. It has only sent teams to eight and won only two medals: a silver in 1964 and a bronze in 1992. Both were won by women, in speed skating and short track skating.Still, it's not unprecedented for the North to send athletes to major competitions in the South.Kim sent a full team to the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014 and dispatched three of his top lieutenants to attend the closing ceremony and meet with the South's unification minister. Whatever progress was made in those talks seems to have dissipated soon after the trio went home, however.Any chances of gold?Well, not really.It isn't entirely clear if Kim intends to send athletes to Pyeongchang or just officials.There might still be some wiggle room, but only two athletes, pair skaters Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik, are qualified to go. Skating to the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life" for their short program, the two won North Korea's first medal — a bronze — at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan in February last year.Nevertheless, Kim Jong Un likes sports.Following the example of former Soviet bloc countries like East Germany, Kim has elevated the role of sports to a new level for North Korea, lavishing praise and rewards on medal-winning athletes while the official media catalogues each win in international competition as proof of the nation's ideological superiority and physical grit.Upon receiving the New Year Address made by respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, sportspersons in the DPRK are filled with firm determination to achieve fresh victory," its state-run news agency reported Tuesday, using the acronym for the North's official name.The report went on: "It is the determination and will of all sports officials, players and coaches to produce more excellent results in international games this year.North Korea and South Korea established contact on a hotline that's been dormant for almost two years Wednesday, a major diplomatic breakthrough following a year of escalating hostility and a move that could pave the way for future talks.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave the order to open the line at 3:00 p.m local time (1:30 a.m. ET), according to an announcement on state media in the hours before the two phone calls to the South took place.According to South Korea's Unification Ministry, the North Koreans made first contact at exactly the time ordered, and the sides were on the phone from 3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. local time (South Korea is half an hour ahead of North Korea).During the initial 20-minute connection, the two nations "checked technical issues of the communication line," according to a statement from South Korea's Unification Ministry.The Unification Ministry said North Korea phoned for a second time several hours later on the Panmunjom hotline, suggesting the two sides wrap up business for the day.Other than checking that the link-up was operational, it is unclear what was discussed. A ministry spokeswoman told CNN that there was no mention of future talks or the Olympics.A South Korean official communicates with a North Korean officer on the dedicated communications hotline at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on Wednesday.Contact had been initiated after Kim expressed hope that a North Korean delegation might participate in next month's Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.The calls came just hours after an astonishing tweet from US President Donald Trump, who again taunted the North Korean leader, this time with a boast about the size of his nuclear button. During Kim's New Year's Day address, the North Korean leader had claimed he had a nuclear button of his own on the desk of his office.North Korea calls hotline to South Korea in diplomatic breakthrough.Seoul (CNN)North Korea and South Korea established contact on a hotline that's been dormant for almost two years Wednesday, a major diplomatic breakthrough following a year of escalating hostility and a move that could pave the way for future talks.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave the order to open the line at 3:00 p.m local time (1:30 a.m. ET), according to an announcement on state media in the hours before the two phone calls to the South took place.According to South Korea's Unification Ministry, the North Koreans made first contact at exactly the time ordered, and the sides were on the phone from 3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. local time (South Korea is half an hour ahead of North Korea).During the initial 20-minute connection, the two nations "checked technical issues of the communication line," according to a statement from South Korea's Unification Ministry.The Unification Ministry said North Korea phoned for a second time several hours later on the Panmunjom hotline, suggesting the two sides wrap up business for the day.The North Korean side called our side at 6:07 p.m. (4.07 a.m. ET) and said 'let's call it a day today,'" the ministry confirmed.Other than checking that the link-up was operational, it is unclear what was discussed. A ministry spokeswoman told CNN that there was no mention of future talks or the Olympics.A South Korean official communicates with a North Korean officer on the dedicated communications hotline at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on Wednesday.A South Korean official communicates with a North Korean officer on the dedicated communications hotline at the border village of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, on Wednesday.The calls came just hours after an astonishing tweet from US President Donald Trump, who again taunted the North Korean leader, this time with a boast about the size of his nuclear button. During Kim's New Year's Day address, the North Korean leader had claimed he had a nuclear button of his own on the desk of his office."I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!" the US President tweeted.It's unlikely the timing of North Korea's offer of talks was related to Trump's tweet, however.Relations between North and South Korea have warmed in recent days. During an unusually conciliatory New Year's speech, the North Korean leader extended a rare olive branch to the South, suggesting discussions about sending a North Korean team to the Winter Olympics should start "as soon as possible." In response, South Korean President Moon Jae-In called for swift measures during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday to smooth North Korea's participation in the Games.Some analysts have said that North Korea's willingness to talk to South Korea could be an attempt to drive a wedge between the US and its South Korean ally."The South Korean government, being quite frightened about Washington's bellicosity, is quite ready to welcome the North Korean initiative, and this might lead to an annoyance in the US," said Andrei Lankov from Seoul's Kookmin University.Others argue that talks between the Koreas could be advantageous for Washington. Tong Zhao, a fellow at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, says all forms of communication should be welcomed.A better North-South relationship would help Washington and the international community to better understand North Korea and to talk it into taking substantive measures of self-restraint," he said.Wednesday's contact between the two Koreas marks the first time in almost two years that a special direct hotline in the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone has been used to connect the two countries.Until Wednesday, North Korea had not answered since February 2016 when South Korea suspended operations at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex, a business park that once employed workers from both sides.We have been calling North Korea twice a day at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. but North Korea has not been responding since we had the last contact in February 2016. Nonetheless, we have been calling them every day Monday through Friday," a spokeswoman for the Unification Ministry told CNN on Tuesday.The Kaesong Industrial Complex was closed after Pyongyang launched a satellite into space, in what was widely interpreted as a front for a missile test. It followed Pyongyang's claims in January 2016 that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.There's been no letup in North Korea's ambitions since; during 2017 it conducted a record number of missile launches and carried out the country's sixth nuclear test.China reiterated its support for renewed dialogue between North and South on Wednesday, and expressed its hope the US and North Korea can find a way of easing their nuclear rhetoric going forward."China welcomes and supports both the DPRK and South Korean sides taking the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as an opportunity to make effective efforts to improve mutual relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.Referring to Trump's tweet, Geng added: "We hope that both parties can resume dialogue and build mutual trust as soon as possible instead of trying to be brazen and shout with each other.Moon's office welcomed Wednesday's gesture for talks and expressed optimism that they'd be extended from participation in the Winter Olympics to other issues."The restoration of the communication channels means a lot. It is assessed that (we) are headed to setting up a structure through which contacts can be made on a regular basis," said presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan in a statement echoed by the country's Unification Ministry.Moon has championed the 2018 Winter Olympics, set to begin February 9, as a possible means of easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.In a November interview with CNN, the South Korean leader described the Games as an opportunity for inter-Korean peace and reconciliation, and expressed his hope that the North would participate.Only two North Korean athletes have qualified for the Games -- pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-sik. However, the country's National Olympic Committee did not meet an October 30 deadline to accept its spot.There has been talk of the International Olympic Committee granting an additional quota, something previously proposed by Choi Moon-soon, governor of the Gangwon province that will host the Winter Games."If North Korean athletes can participate in the Winter Games and even parade together with their South Korean counterparts in the opening/closing ceremonies, that would send the North-South relationship to the highest level ever seen over the past few years," Tong told CNN.Daniel Pinkston, a professor of international relations at Troy University, told CNN he expected that North Korea would seek to participate in the Olympics in some capacity, "given the regime's view on sports and the opportunity the Games present for the North to deploy its soft power resources and to exploit any intel collection opportunities."Trump's hardline stance was backed by the country's Ambassador to the United Nations, who reiterated Tuesday that the US "will never accept a nuclear North Korea.Before the calls between North and South Korea, Nikki Haley said Pyongyang needed to ban all nuclear weapons as a precondition for any talks.We consider this to be a very reckless regime, we don't think we need a Band-Aid and we don't think we need to smile and take a picture," she said. "We think that we need to have them stop nuclear weapons and they need to stop it now.After a year of increased missiles tests, threats and claims of nuclear capabilities, it's not clear why Kim has decided it's now time to talk. Lankov from Kookmin University says the most likely explanation is "uncertainty in Pyongyang."They hear strange noises emanating from the White House, and they cannot be sure whether President Trump is bluffing when he hints at his willingness to use force. So, they obviously decided to slow down, and start the charm offensive now," he said.Lankov added that while there's no suggestion North Korea is going to curb the pace of its nuclear program, the resumption of talks with the South might mitigate increasing tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.The new developments will indeed decrease the likelihood of a war breaking in Korea as a result of the US military strike," Lankov said.Earlier this week, Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute, told CNN that the North's offer of talks with South Korea shouldn't be taken at face value.Up until now, they just haven't shown any interest in engaging with the South, or anyone else for that matter," he said.But an olive branch is always wrapped in some sort of belligerent coating in North Korea, it doesn't mean the end of the nuclear program."Even if they do reach out and send a delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they accompanied that with a continuing testing program as the spring comes, be that a submarine launch or satellite launch," Graham added.The 2018 Winter Olympics are upon us, which means if you haven't already, it's now time to start counting up your sick days, scouring official schedules and figuring out which days you'll be calling out of work. Or, if you don't have any sick days left because flu season kicked your butt, you'll need to start figuring out how to watch all the figure skating and curling you want from your desk while fooling your boss into thinking you're actually working. Not that we would know much about that.Here's everything you need to know to prepare yourselves for one of the greatest traditions in human history.The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea.This is the first time in 30 years that Korea has hosted the Olympics; Seoul hosted the Summer Games in 1988. While this is a fun fact that you can and definitely should bust out at viewing parties, it's also important to know this because it obviously involves a major time difference. South Korea is 14 hours ahead of New York and the rest of the Eastern timezone, meaning it is 17 hours ahead Los Angeles. If you want to watch events as they unfold in real time, you will need to plan ahead.The Olympics will consume your life from Thursday, Feb. 8 until Sunday, Feb. 25.Competition actually begins Thursday, Feb. 8 — curling and ski jumping kick off the festivities — but the opening ceremonies will take place the next day, Friday, Feb. 9. Events will continue until the closing ceremonies on Sunday, Feb. 25.The aforementioned time difference allows for live coverage of events during U.S. primetime — with live-viewing across all time zones — but you would be wise to check out NBC's schedule to find out what will be airing and when. NBC will also host a livestream of their coverage of the games on its website as well as on the NBC Sports app. And for the first time during the Winter Olympics, the opening ceremonies will be livestreamed too.4. There are just 15 sports in the Winter Olympics.While the Summer Games seem to have 100 different sports, the Winter Olympics have 15. On the slopes you'll find alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, and snowboarding. Over on the ice, you'll see curling, figure skating, ice hockey, short track speed skating, and speed skating. And last but not least, there are the sliding sports bobsleigh, luge and skeleton.There are four events making their Olympics debut in PyeongChangWho doesn't love new stuff? This winter you'll see big air snowboarding, mixed doubles curling, mass start speed skating and mixed team alpine skiing join the competition.You should probably familiarize yourself with these folks:Skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who took home the top prize in Sochi at 18 to become the youngest Olympic slalom gold medalist, has been called the "the best slalom skier in the world." In PyeongChang, she'll be attempting to become the first person of any gender to repeat as Olympic slalom champion. Meanwhile, Gus Kenworthy, who took home the silver in the inaugural men's ski slopestyle event at Sochi, is also returning. He made waves in 2015 when he became the first action-sports (vs. mainstream sports) star to come out as gay.Elsewhere, snowboarder Chloe Kim, 17, is poised to become a new Team USA favorite in her first Olympics. She actually qualified in 2014, but she could not compete because of her age. She is the heavy favorite to take home the gold in the halfpipe. Meanwhile, two-time gold medalist Shaun White, who finished fourth in the halfpipe in 2014, will attempt a shot at redemption after qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team earlier this month. He is coming back from a serious injury he sustained in October.On the ice, watch out for rising star Nathan Chen, 18, the first male figure skater to land five quadruple jumps in a single performance. On the women's side, Mirai Nagasu, who placed fourth at the 2010 Olympics but failed to make the team in 2014, will be going for the gold in PyeongChang.And last but not least, Pita Taufatofua, better known as Tonga's sexy, oiled-up flag bearer at the Rio Games, will be competing as a cross-country skier. This just feels like something you should know.. There are 102 medals up for grabs this yearIf you're reading this, it probably means you don't stand a chance in winning a medal at the Olympics, which is a shame, because the PyeongChang medals are rather striking, especially compared to those from years past.It was announced in 2017 that Bob Costas, who has handled hosting duties for NBC's Olympics coverage since 1992, is stepping down from the role to make way for sportscaster Mike Tirico, who joined NBC from ESPN, where he was the play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Football. Who will we be without Bob Costas?Please don't pretend like this isn't something you were dying to know. Lipinski and Weir will be back as NBC's primetime figure skating announcers. It should go without saying they will once again probably be delightful.

The National Hockey League announced in 2017 that it will not allow players to participate in the 2018 Olympics, ending five consecutive Winter Olympics involving NHL players. The league did not want to include a 17-day break in the middle of the hockey season to allow for players to participate in the Winter Games, which will likely hurt both the U.S. and Canadian teams' chances of taking home the gold.Russia is banned from the Olympicms.In December, the International Olympic Committee announced it was barring Russia's national Olympic committee from the 2018 Games as punishment for its alleged state-sponsored cover-up of athlete doping. However, select athletes will be able to compete under a neutral Olympic flag.The mascot for the PyeongChang Games is a white tiger named SoohorangSoohorang is very cute. "Sooho" comes from the Korean word for protection, while "rang" comes from the middle letter of ""Ho-rang-i," the word for "tiger." It is also the last letter of "Jeong-seon A-ri-rang," which is a traditional folk song from the Gangwon Province, which is where the Games will be held. You're going to be full of fun facts this winter!Beginning February 9, athletes from around the world will flock to Pyeongchang—a rugged, mountainous region in the Gangwon Province of South Korea—for the 2018 Winter Olympics.To prepare for the games, South Korea has built six new venues and refurbished six others in three different areas in the province: Pyeongchang, an area known for winter sports and home to the Olympic Stadium; Jeongseon, a former mining area home to the downhill skiing courses; and Gangneung, a resort town and bustling port city home to the ice skating, speed skating, and hockey arenas.Like any Olympics, Pyeongchang has made a few thorny headlines in the lead-up to the Games. Escalating military tension might be scaring away tourists, organizers have banned Russia from competing, and some worry that Pyeongchang’s frigid temperatures could pose problems for both athletes and spectators.The good news? Officials report that all 13 venues and the Olympic Village are ready to go, an impressive feat considering that organizers of the recent Sochi and Rio Games were scrambling to finish hotels and venues on time.In addition to the new venues, many Olympic athletes and visitors will arrive in Gangwon Province on a new $3.7 billion express train that just opened between Seoul and Pyeongchang. Instead of a taxing three-hour drive, the Korail train journey will take just under 1.5 hours.To get pumped for all the excitement to come, we’ve rounded up the details and best photos of the major Olympic venues. From a giant stadium to snow-covered ski runs, here’s where all the Olympic magic will happen. Built to hold 35,000 people, the pentagonal Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympics. Located about one mile northeast of Alpensia Ski Resort, the stadium is a temporary structure that will be dismantled after the Olympics are over.In recent months, the stadium has come under criticism because it was built without a roof or heat to save time and money. In November, seven people reportedly suffered hypothermia while attending a concert at the stadium. In order to alleviate the freezing temperatures and cold winds forecasted during the Olympics, officials will provide each spectator at the opening and closing ceremonies with a small blanket, a rain coat, and a heating pad. Athletes competing in Pyeongchang will stay in the Olympic Village located near the main stadium. The village will officially open on February 1, eight days before the opening ceremony. The compound includes eight apartment buildings—each 15 stories tall—with about 600 units total.

A residential area is supplemented by an athletes’ plaza, and the village also includes important day-to-day services like banks, post offices, convenience stories, fitness centers, and multifaith churches. A similar Olympic Village in Gangneung has nine apartment buildings with a total of 922 units. The opening ceremony for next month's PyeongChang Winter Olympic will highlight peace by following the fairytale-like adventures of five imaginary children from rural South Korea exploring the country's culture and history, organizers said Tuesday.The Feb. 9 opener for South Korea's first Winter Games, titled "Peace in Motion," will start at 8 p.m. with the chiming of bells welcoming Winter Olympians and fans from around the world to the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, according to the organizing committee for the PyeongChang Games.

The opening ceremony will weave together the narratives of five lovable protagonists from Gangwon Province through cultural performances," Yang Jung-woong, executive producer of the opening event, said during a press conference at the Main Press Centre in Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul.Yang explained that the audiences will be taken through time to the history of the Korean people's unrelenting search for peace. "The show will lead to the future in which people and technology are brought together," explained Yang.The stage will unfold like a winter fairytale depicting the children's adventure," the producer said, adding that the show will feature "various magical scenes produced by limitless imagination.The closing ceremony on Feb. 25 is named "Next Wave" and will highlight the human spirit of perseverance in overcoming trials to open a new tomorrow. It will also incorporate themes of acknowledging differences and working towards coexistence among different people.It will be produced in an omnibus format in which the music, dance, art and visuals are neither too traditional nor too modern. It will light up beautifully by combining tradition and dynamic modern culture," Jang Yu-jung, executive producer of the closing ceremony, said.Song Seung-whan, executive creative director of the ceremonies, said that the planning and production of both events were already fixed before the decision was made for North Korea to cross the militarized border and participate in the Winter Games in the South.There's been no change due to the decision on North Korea's participation, other than the change of music to 'Arirang' (during the joint entrance of the two Koreas)," Song said.Song, however, noted that the message of peace during the opening ceremony may be better emphasized by North Korea's participation in the games. The executive creative director also said that there are talks of North Korea possibly staging a taekwondo demonstration during the pre-ceremony performances.I've heard of talk of a possible taekwondo demonstration by North Korea but it's not fixed.... I'm told that it's being discussed.The organizers also unveiled the design of the Olympic cauldron, where the sacred flame will be lit throughout the Winter Games.The cauldron is inspired by a moon jar, a type of traditional Korean white porcelain, and will be held aloft by five finger-like towers. It was designed by Kim Young-se, who also created the torch for the PyeongChang Olympics.We're preparing a surprising event for lighting the Olympic cauldron," Song said. South Korea, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- PyeongChang 2018 organizers on Tuesday announced a set of measures to keep visitors warm from the host city's freezing weather during the outdoor opening and closing ceremonies.PyeongChang, located some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, is known as one of the coldest regions in South Korea, as temperatures often drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius during winter, with biting winds.According to organizers, PyeongChang's average daily temperature was minus 4.5 degrees Celsius over the last 10 years, but because of powerful winds, freezing wind chill temperatures are expected to present a big challenge for the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies that will be staged at the Olympic Stadium, an open-air, pentagonal arena that can accommodate some 35,000 people. The PyeongChang Winter Olympics run from Feb. 9 to 25.It's true that PyeongChang is known for heavy snow and biting winds," said Lee Hee-beom, who leads the PyeongChang organizing committee. "I heard some people aren't coming here because of cold weather, but I want to tell you that we've prepared thoroughly for that. So don't worry."

To help visitors stay warm during the ceremonies, the organizers said they'll install wind screens around the stadium to block powerful winds. They'll also place 40 portable gas heaters between aisles and rows of the seats. There will be also 18 "heating rest areas," places with heaters.We've checked the direction of the winds and most of them are northwesterly winds," said Kim Dae-hyun, director-general of culture and ceremonies for the organizing committee. "We know that wind chills temperatures are important.For spectators, the organizers will provide six heating items at the ceremonies: a rain coat, a small blanket, a winter hat, heating packs for hands and feet, and a heating pad that visitors can sit on.Organizers said they've expanded emergency medical facilities near the stadium from four to five, and 165 medical staffs will be ready to provide treatment to hypothermia patients.To reduce waiting times during outdoor security checks, organizers said they plan to provide quick inspection and offer fast-track services to those who lack mobility.Kim said the event's announcers, and mobile text messages, will provide spectators freezing weather alerts, but what's important is that visitors first prepare themselves for the cold weather.We'll do our best to keep spectators warm, but we urge visitors to prepare for PyeongChang's cold weather before coming to the stadium," he said. After spending the past few days checking Olympic facilities in South Korea, an eight-member North Korean delegation headed back over the border this afternoon.On their third and final day in the South, the inspectors viewed a five-star hotel in Seoul, which is where their 30-member Taekwondodemonstration team will stay.On the last leg of the visit, they toured the concert hall of a major broadcasting station, where the martial arts team will perform.Local media report that the inspectors carefully checked out the hall and inquired about certain aspects of the venue, from the maximum number of audience members, sound equipment to the material of the stage floor.Earlier this week, the delegation visited the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics will take place, and the venues for cross-country and alpine skiing, as well as the accommodation facilities for their athletes and cheering squad members. South Korea, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korean cheerleaders, who are set to visit PyeongChang for the Winter Games, will support South Korean athletes in addition to their own Olympians, a senior organizing official said Saturday."The North Korean cheering squad has agreed to attend events featuring South Korean athletes," the official with PyeongChang's organizing committee said, on condition of anonymity. "These cheerleaders will attend the opening and the closing ceremonies, and obviously the women's ice hockey games featuring the joint Korean team.The two Koreas reached a historic agreement earlier this month, as the North offered to send athletes, a 230-member cheering squad and an art troupe to PyeongChang, host of the first Winter Olympics in South Korea. They also agreed on a unified women's hockey team, with 23 South Koreans joined by 12 North Koreans.But the cheering team could steal the athletes' thunder. Pyongyang has yet to disclose details on how the cheering squad will be composed. But given past athletic competitions in the South, the North may send a group of elite female supporters, who fascinated their southern compatriots in the past with their good looks, charming demeanors and well choreographed moves. North Korea has sent an average of 240 female supporters to three international sports events hosted by the South -- the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu and the 2005 Asian Athletics Championships in Incheon.During the Universiade, North Korean supporters cheered on the South Korean men's volleyball team as it knocked out the United States in the semifinals, and then Japan in the final, to win the gold medal.In addition to women's hockey, North Korea will have athletes in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure skating and short track speed skating. Indoor events that will have South Korean athletes and not North Koreans are speed skating, curling and men's hockey.It may be difficult to find tickets for these cheerleaders for some popular events," the PyeongChang official said. "We may be able to use inter-Korean cooperative funds to purchase tickets for them. And once the Olympic Games start, we will determine which events the cheering team will attend.While Seoul forges ahead with plans to use the upcoming Winter Olympics to showcase inter-Korean unity, some South Korean athletes are "furious" at proposals to form joint teams with North Koreans, highlighting a broader lack of enthusiasm for some of the government's peace-making plans.Officials from both countries are still engaged in talks over exactly how the North will participate in next month's games in Pyeongchang. But the backlash may trip up Seoul's plans to use the sporting event to improve bilateral ties after a year of high tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.South Korea's women's ice hockey team was the first to be singled out for possible integration with North Koreans, with Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan saying the government would ask Olympic organizers to expand the team's roster from 23 to more than 30.That came as a shock to team members, who had just returned to South Korea last Friday after training in the United States for the past three weeks, a senior official with the Korea Ice Hockey Association said."They were just furious and found the idea absurd," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "We are utterly speechless that the government just picked us out of blue and asked us to play with total strangers at the Olympics.The proposal has also sparked an outcry from thousands of South Koreans, who have signed online petitions asking the presidential Blue House to drop the idea.I cannot help but think the government is abusing its power to make political gains from the Olympics," said one comment on the petition. "Taking roster spots from South Korean athletes

who have put so much effort for the Olympics — a dream stage for all South Korean athletes - for the North Koreans is not fair at all."More than 70 percent of South Koreans oppose forming a joint team with the North, according to a Jan. 11 survey released by the office of the South's National Assembly Speaker and television network SBS. More than 80 percent, however, said they welcomed the North's participation in general.A spokesmen for the Blue House referred questions to the ministries involved in the talks with North Korea.The sports ministry said it was discussing the matter with the International Olympic Committee to "minimize any disadvantage" for the South Korean team.We will also be taking the public opinion into consideration prior to making the final decision," a ministry official told Reuters.The public backlash underscores how North Korea diplomacy, which has often come in the form of one-sided assistance from Seoul, remains a source of bitter division and contention within South Korea. The two countries are still technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in truce, not a peace treaty.Liberal President Moon Jae-in wants to revive ties with North Korea that froze under nearly a decade of conservative rule in the South. His administration has proposed the two Koreas make a show of unity at the Games, marching together at the opening and closing ceremonies and competing together as one nation.But South Korea's ice hockey association hasn't heard much from the politicians spearheading those plans, other than being told by the sports ministry to "get prepared," the senior official said.

"Honestly, we have no idea what's going on. Frankly, I do not know what they meant by to 'get prepared' since we do not have any channels to talk to the North Korean team," the official said.Among the issues to be worked out are the roster, game strategies and the appointment of a head coach to lead the joint team.None of these crucial and basic issues have been discussed at all. And the South Korean team's first tournament in the Olympics is only three weeks away," the official said. "Can you believe this? None of this makes any sense.The association did not make athletes available for interviews, saying they were in the final round of training before their first game on Feb. 10.Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan has defended the proposal for a joint ice hockey team, arguing that by expanding the roster, no South Korean athletes would be left out.South Korea will have the "coaching rights" for the team as well, he said during a parliamentary session on Monday, and the unified team would not "hurt South Korean athletes and their team capability.Choi Moon-soon, governor of Gangwon province, where the games will be held, said the negative public views may be the result of frigid inter-Korean relations under previous conservative administrations. But he added that public opinion would change once North Korea attended the games."The two Koreas have marched at nine games so far, and the world gave its blessing to the two Koreas," Choi said. "There were few people who opposed that.But Kim Dae, a 26-year-old engineer in Seoul, said there was no clear point in having a unified team.I do not understand what this united team is for. It almost feels like two different teams are forced to play together at the Olympics," Kim said. "Who's benefiting from this joint team anyway?A separate Jan. 8 poll by Realmeter found that 54 percent of South Koreans supported Seoul's plans to provide accommodation and other expenses needed for the stay of the North Korean delegation during the games, while 41 percent opposed it.Conservative lawmakers questioned whether the potential problems were worth the political gains."Many people worry that North Korea is taking advantage of the Pyeongchang Olympics to publicize its political propaganda," parliament member Kim Ki-sun said on Monday. "How long did the peace last after the two Koreas marched together in past games?The torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games will tour Seoul later this week as one of its stops on its way to the venue of the country's first Winter Olympics, the city government said Thursday.It will mark the first time in nearly 30 years for the capital city to hold a torch relay event since the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul. The 2018 Winter Games will kick off in PyeongChang, which lies 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, on Feb. 9.The Seoul metropolitan government said the torch relay will be held in the city from Saturday to Tuesday in a course that spans 103 kilometers, with some 600 torchbearers joining the race.The Olympic torch carries the flame that was lit at the Temple of Hera in Greece in October, which arrived in South Korea in November. It then toured major cities across the country, including Jeju, Busan, Gwanju, Daejeon and Incheon, before arriving Seoul.Major bearers in Seoul will include South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun and actor Park Bo-gum, along with various citizens.During Sunday's relay, the torch will reach Seoul Olympic Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games. Some past and current Olympians will have the honor of carrying the Olympic flame that day, according to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.The star-studded list will include former speed skater Kim Yoon-man, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in the men's 500 meters, who was the first South Korean to win a Winter Olympic medal. He will be joined by 2002 Olympic short track champion Choi Min-kyung and Park Jong-ah, current captain of the women's ice hockey team.

From the Summer Olympics, Hyun Jung-hwa and Yang Young-ja, 1988 gold medal-winning teammates in women's doubles table tennis, will lead the way, along with 2012 archery double gold medalist Ki Bo-bae and 2008 men's judo champion Choi Min-ho.Lee Kee-heung, president of the KSOC, and Kim Ji-yong, head of the South Korean delegation to PyeongChang 2018, will also carry the torch.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said the city will focus efforts on promoting the upcoming Winter Games in the country.After leaving Seoul, the torch will travel the northern parts of Gyeonggi Province and head toward the host city of the Winter Games. The combined distance traveled by the torch will reach 2,018 kilometers, carried by around 7,500 torchbearers. The Olympics will run from Feb. 9 to 25. The rival Koreas agreed Wednesday to form their first unified Olympic team and have their athletes parade together for the first time in 11 years during the opening ceremony of next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, officials said.The agreements still require approval from the International Olympic Committee. But they are the most prominent steps toward rapprochement achieved by the Koreas since they recently began exploring cooperation during the Olympics following a year of heightened tension over the North’s nuclear weapons program.During their third day of talks at the border in about a week, senior officials reached a package of agreements including fielding a joint women’s ice hockey team and marching together under a blue and white “unification flag” depicting their peninsula in the opening ceremony, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said.A joint statement distributed by the ministry said the North Korean Olympic delegation will travel to South Korea across their heavily fortified land border before the Feb. 9-25 Pyeongchang Games. It said the delegation will include a 230-member cheering group, a 30-member taekwondo demonstration team, journalists, athletes and officials.Ahead of the Olympics, the Koreas will hold a joint cultural event at the North’s scenic Diamond Mountain and have non-Olympic skiers train together at the North’s Masik ski resort, according to the statement. It said the North also plans to send a 150-strong delegation to the Paralympics in March. The North earlier said it would send a 140-member art troupe.The agreements are highly symbolic and emotional. But it’s still not clear how many North Korean athletes will come to Pyeongchang because none are currently qualified. South Korean media have predicted only up to 10 North Korean athletes will end up being covered by an additional quota from the IOC.A pair of North Korean figure skaters qualified for this year’s Olympics, but North Korea missed a deadline to confirm their participation. The IOC said recently it has “kept the door open” for North Korea to take part in the games. IOC officials are to meet with sports and government officials from the two Koreas and officials from the Pyeongchang organizing committee in Switzerland on Saturday.The IOC said in statement Wednesday that it has “taken note of a number of interesting proposals from different sources.There are many considerations with regard to the impact of these proposals on the other participating NOCs (national Olympic committees) and athletes. After having taken all this into consideration, the IOC will take its final decisions on Saturday in Lausanne,” it said.The two Koreas have sent joint teams to major international sports events twice previously, both in 1991. One event was the world table tennis championships in Chiba, Japan, where the women’s team won the championship by beating the powerful Chinese, and the other was soccer’s World Youth Championship in Portugal, where the Korean team reached the quarterfinals.During an era of detente in the 2000s, their athletes marched together in the opening and closing ceremonies of nine international sporting events including the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but they failed to produce a joint team. Their last joint march was at the Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China, in 2007.The current reconciliation mood began after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a New Year’s speech that he was willing to send a delegation to the games. Critics have said Kim’s overture is an attempt to use improved ties with South Korea to weaken U.S.-led international sanctions on North Korea while buying time to perfect his nuclear weapons program.The moves nevertheless have provided a temporary thaw in the Koreas’ long-strained ties and fostered optimism that North Korea won’t launch any new provocations, at least during the Olympics. Last year, North Korea carried out its sixth and biggest nuclear test explosion and test-fired three intercontinental ballistic missiles, and Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump traded threats of war and crude insults against each other.Some conservative critics say North Korea’s cheering and artistic groups are too big, and worry the North may try to steal the show at the Olympics to launch what they call a “peace offensive” to try to show it’s a normal country despite pursuing nuclear weapons.North Korea also sent highly trained female cheering groups dressed in bright, attractive outfits when it attended previous international sports events in South Korea. The groups, chosen for their cheering skills as well as their good looks and dubbed “beauty squads” by South Korean media, often received more attention than their athletes. Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, was a member of a 2005 squad.

Winter Olympic 2018 News,articles

North Korea under Kim has made sports, and especially success in international sporting events, a high priority. While it’s not a major winter sports competitor, North Korean athletes have set several weightlifting world records and its women hold a high profile on the world football scene.When traveling abroad, however, North Korean athletes and coaches tend to cloister themselves away from outsiders when they are not competing or practicing. Defections are likely a concern, along with what their minders might deem to be ideological “contamination,” so they are kept under close scrutiny.South Korea wants to the IOC to allow its ice hockey team’s 23-player Olympic roster to be expanded so that several North Korean players can be added without removing any of the South Korean players. But there are worries in South Korea that adding new players less than a month before the Olympics will weaken the team and deprive South Korean players of playing time.Chief South Korean delegate Chun Hae-sung said the government is well aware of such concerns and North Korea has agreed that the South Korean team’s current coach will be given full authority to select North Korean players to compete.If South and North Korea form one team and compete in the games, that will be an everlasting historic event, which I think will move our people and people around the world,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday.With the 2018 Winter Olympics countdown closing in, Team USA is packing up for the games in PyeongChang, and their official looks appear competition-ready. Two iconic American brands — Ralph Lauren and Nike — have already revealed their carefully prepared designs, and it goes without saying that the athletes will receive some serious swag.Ralph Lauren just revealed the ensembles for the big kick-off, and of course they're red, white, and blue. To stay toasty in the anticipated brutal cold, competitors will wear both parkas and bomber jackets, each outfitted with heating systems that last up to 11 hours.The built-in warmers work via electronic-printed conductive inks that connect to a battery pack with three adjustable settings. Athletes will also wear slim jeans, wool sweaters and hats, navy bandanas, and suede gloves and boots.This year's ceremonies (with the exception of ice hockey) will all take place outside in below-freezing temps, so insulation was key. Both male and female competitors will wear the Team USA Hypershield Summit Jacket, a white waterproof shell with knit hand warmers, and a removable bomber jacket underneath.Equipped with plenty of pockets, the water-repellent pants feature an ankle zip that shows the letters USA when open. The lace-free boots differ a bit for the men and women (the female version is taller), but everyone will get a pair of Medal Stand Gloves. The fingers on these mitts are touch-screen compatible, meaning there will be no shortage of Olympic selfies.You don't have to be a skiing pro to get the gear though. All of the components will be available for purchase at nike.com and select retailers starting January 15.Ralph Lauren looked to "authentic all-American style, infused with a modern sensibility" when creating the final set of patriotic looks. Athletes will finish out the games wearing a vintage-ski-inspired sweater, a white down jacket, and navy track pants. There's no shortage of accessories either: knit gloves and a matching ski hat, an American flag bandana, and suede mountaineering boots with red laces.While these specific outfits aren't up for grabs, the Polo Ralph Lauren Team USA Collection is available on ralphlauren.com and teamusashop.com as well as select Ralph Lauren and Polo Ralph Lauren retail stores. Don't worry — it includes an equally adorable pair of mittens that you can wear to cheer on Team USA.It will mark the first time that Olympic programming in VR will be delivered live in the U.S on a wide range of devices and platforms, and the first time that any Winter Olympics has been in VR. For the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, NBC delivered 85-plus hours of VR content in partnership with Samsung but most of that was available on a next-day delay.The Olympics have long been an opportunity to showcase emerging media technology,” Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics, said in a statement. “With the help of Intel’s industry-leading virtual reality technology, NBC Olympics will deliver a transformative experience that will bring to Olympic fans an entirely new perspective on the speed, thrills, and excitement of an Olympic Winter Games.The VR programming will span every day of the Winter Games (with the exception of Feb. 18) beginning the day of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9, and concluding with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 25. In PyeongChang, all medal ceremonies will be held in open-air arenas where temperatures are expected to be below freezing, aside from ice hockey. Nike’s 2018 Team USA Medal Stand Collection was designed to help Team USA athletes comfortably withstand the elements as they celebrate their crowning moments.“Nike has once again designed unparalleled medal-stand uniforms for the 2018 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams,” said Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer. “The American spirit and style are seamlessly united to complement the fortitude of America’s finest athletes.Nike’s Summit Jacket – which features the zip-in, zip-out system – includes the Team USA Hypershield Summit Jacket, a lightweight GORE-TEX® waterproof shell that blocks wind and rain, and the Team USA Insulated Summit Jacket, a removable bomber jacket. Engineered knit hand warmers attached to the outer jacket’s sleeve offer extra warmth, while added Team USA flare adorns the inner phone pocket (an American flag) and the adjustable bottom toggle (a small eagle head) of the shell.The Team USA pants are made with a DWR coat that provides protection from rain and snow. A waist cinch and ankle zip (that, when open, reads USA) make it easy for athletes to find their just-right fit and taper. Back pockets have snaps to secure small items.Built to conquer the cold, the NSW Gaiter Boots have a lace-free closure system that allows athletes to quickly dial their fit. The men’s boot features a FlyEase-inspired entry system, while the women’s boot is taller and has added heat reflective material for more warmth.The medal stand gloves feature Nike’s AeroShield technology, combining a waterproof layer with ventilation zones to keep athletes dry and comfortable. Insulation throughout the fingers increases warmth, while the thumbs and forefingers are touch-screen compatible. A concealed zipper on the back of the hand makes it easy to get the gloves on and off.The USOC is proud to have Nike as an Official Sponsor and Outfitter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams. The Nike Team USA Medal Stand Collection will be available Jan. 15 in select Nike retail stores and on Nike.com, while TeamUSAShop.com will carry items from Nike’s Team USA Collection. China will put on an eight-minute art performance at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korea on Feb 25.The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will take place between Feb 9 and 25.Zhang Yimou, who was also behind the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, will again direct the show.The renowned director impressed the whole world for promoting Chinese traditional culture as well as modern Chinese civilisation at the grand show 10 years ago. The four-hour ceremony was lauded by international media as "the greatest-ever in the history of Olympics.According to Zhang, the new "eight-minute show" will be filled with totally new elements and be another eye-popper for audiences.

"My team and I have been preparing the show for nearly one year. And we have been rehearsing time and time again for the past two months," said Zhang."I fully expressed the profoundness of China's 5,000-year-old history in the 2008 show, so this time I will focus more on the remarkable achievements China has made in the modern age," the 68-year-old director said."More importantly, my team wants to convey the message to the world that China has the confidence and enthusiasm to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics. And the Chinese people welcome people from different parts of the world.Zhang also said his team has set up a new criterion for selected performers."As this is a show for the Winter Olympics, so those traditional dancers and singers are not our priority. We want to choose performers who can combine Chinese art with features of winter sports. In other words, the show is a mixture of expression of art and sport."With regard to the difficulties of the ceremony, Zhang said that cold weather conditions and limited on-the-spot infrastructure will pose a serious challenge to the performers.Young performers cannot wear too much, or it will have a negative impact on the visual effects of the show. Therefore, we have been racking our mind to keep them warm as best as we can.

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