Apolitical South Korea to Host 2018 Winter Olympic Games

prettykeys · Jul 8, 2011

Robeye said:
It would have been quite easy for her to take it easy, assuming that her role was just to broadcast charm by her mere presence. But it's clear, just from seeing the quantum leap in her English and presentation skills, that this girl worked hard to do the best job she could possibly do.

Very much agree with this point. She is so dedicated, and a perfectionist. I was surprised to hear that she was so nervous about it.

I still maintain (like some others here) that her greatest contribution was herself, as an example of how much one outstanding individual can change the way a sport is received in his/her respective nation. Following in her wake, S. Korea has done a 180 in how it and its fans now follow figure skating. It is not a huge leap of faith to suggest that the implication of a similar effect happening in other winter sports to Korea and the rest of Asia was a part of what made this PyeongChang bid successful. I am happy that S. Korea had the breakout in long-track skating in 2010 as well, but without YuNa that would still look like relatively small participation compared to the many other winter sports there are in the Olympics. S. Korea is still recognized as primarily a short-track powerhouse, and in all objectivity, whether it was S. Korea or another nation, I wouldn't feel confident in giving a country the opportunity to host when they only specialize in 1 discipline. I really think it was the promise of more YuNa's that really gave PyeongChang clout, in both this bid and the previous bid.

Mathman · Jul 8, 2011

^ Well said. :yes:

blue dog · Jul 8, 2011

I wonder if DPRK will send a skater to these games. They only seem to send their figure skaters to the Olympic qualifying competition and the Olympics themselves.

lowtherlore · Jul 8, 2011

North Korea has decent speed skaters too and they sent some to Vancouver. I've never seen any N Korean athletes in snow or sliding events though.
I wish to see a full N Korean delegation at PyeongChang.

Ptichka · Jul 15, 2011

We have split this thread, moving political discussion to a thread in "Politics". Let's keep this thread relatively politics free. Thank you!

Olympia · Jul 15, 2011

A grand idea!

I wonder if anyone who's familiar with Korea can tell us what the setting in the designated Olympic area is like. Do people already ski there? Are there winter resorts?

I know that in some Winter Olympics the mountains were less steep, and that made a difference in how the ski runs were constructed. For example, I vaguely remember that the downhill in Sarajevo wasn't as breakneck as the one in, for example, Innsbruck. I don't recall what the situation was like in Norway, but I can't imagine that the mountains were as steep as the Alps. Come to that, I don't think Lake Placid, located in the Appalachian Mountains, could measure up to France, Italy, or Austria.

I guess one possibility is to break up the venues so that the skiing is a considerable distance from the Olympic Village. I think that was done in Vancouver.

I know that in the Summer Games, that's often done for the sailing events.

lowtherlore · Jul 15, 2011

There are several good winter resorts in PyeongChang and in its vicinity. S. Korea has not produced any prominent skier so far, but skiing and snowboarding have been popular here for a long time.

Unlike its West or South coast, East coast of Korean peninsula has a steep run to the mountains so I think they would not need to move the skiing venues farther than planned. It’s true that from the main Olympic stadium/village and media centre in PyeongChang they can reach in 30-40 minutes the alpine skiing venues and also the coastal city of Gangneung (where ice events are held including figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey).

I have no idea how the slopes there compare to the previous Olympic venues. There are mountains everywhere in that part of the country, so I guess they would be able to build good slopes for alpine skiing events.

Cerulean · Jul 16, 2011

Here are a couple of "guides" I found:

Let's Ski South Korea
On the fifth day of skiing in the land of almost right— after hearing the Voice of God, watching malevolent puppets exert Confucian order on the liftline, even after an assault by a computerized toilet—I finally experience something that truly shakes me. The twitching leg does it. It's evening. Tall nightskiing towers line Muju's icy slopes, and in their weird lunar glow a not inconsiderable crowd swarms and bumps like moths beneath a porch light in August....

http://www.skinet.com/ski/resorts/2005/12/lets-ski-korea

Pyeongchang and beyond: winter sports in South Korea

Pyeongchang & Gangwon-do province
With soaring mountains and a reliable snow record, Korea is a natural for winter sports, and Gangwon-do province is the epicenter of Korea’s ski scene. Gangwon-do’s most famous slopes are at Yongpyong Ski Resort. It’s Korea’s oldest and biggest ski resort, and one of Asia’s very best ski resorts, with sweet slopes ranging from bunny options to black diamond runs. It also has cross-country courses and the usual comforts of a ski resort town. The buildings manage to be charming without being kitschy, and on a clear day it’s possible to glimpse the East Sea from the slopes. Yongpyong is also a draw for fans of the TV drama "Winter Sonata" — many key scenes were filmed here.

With its Olympic aspirations, Korea invested billions of dollars to build facilities suited to host the games, including Alpensia (a portmanteau of "Alps" and "Asia") a world-class ski resort that opened in 2009. When fully completed, Alpensia will include a ski jump, a stadium, cross-country and biathlon courses, an ice-ridge climbing centre, golf course, water park and an Olympic village with five-star hotels.

In north Gangwon-do, Alps Ski Resort is much smaller but gets the heaviest powder in the province and is spectacularly set near the North Korean border. Nearby, Gangchon Ski has 10 slopes and six lifts, but offers a unique off-slope activity: ice climbing on the nearby frozen waterfall, Gugok Pokpo. This 165-foot waterfall is spectacular at any time of the year but provides ice-climbers with an exciting challenge when it freezes between December and February. Ask for information about bingbyeok deungban (ice climbing).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43661388/ns/travel-destination_travel/

Olympia · Jul 16, 2011

Thanks for the info, you two! This is going to be an entirely new world for many of us. It sounds like a beautiful locale, doesn't it? A frozen waterfall...what an amazing thought.

If anyone is lucky enough to travel there, I hope that person will share some of the details of the trip with us.

silverpond · Jul 19, 2011

Antilles said:
I don't think a country has to be considered a powerhouse at winning medals to host. They just need to show they are capable of hosting and building the infrastructure. Besides being their third time bidding, it's been a number of cycles since the Olympics were in Asia, and geography is definitely something that's considered when awarding a host. I am sure Kim helped, but I don't think her contribution was the deciding factor.

I agree with you! Yugoslavia was hardly a "powerhouse" nation in spors when it hosted the Winter Olympics at Sarajevo in 1984. The last time the Winter Olympics were held in Asia was in Nagano, 1998, and it's their time. The Nagano games were fantastic - with so much culture, charm, and interest - and I'm sure South Korea's games will be just as wonderful.

Who do you think will lit the Olympic torch? Nobody but YuNa. Remember Midori Ito lighting the flame at Nagao -- dresssed in ceremonial robes while the orchestral played "Madame Butterfly?"

lowtherlore · Jul 20, 2011

Apolitical South Korea to Host 2018 Winter Olympic Games

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