500 days to go until the opening ceremony in PyeongChang

PyeongChang (RWH)  On 26 September there are exactly 500 days remaining until the official opening ceremony of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea,. Korea’s second Olympics, following the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, is due to take place from 9 to 25 February 2018.

It will be the third time that the Winter Olympics will have been staged in Asia, following on from Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998 (both Japan). After two failed bids in 2010 and 2014, PyeongChang won at its third attempt in 2011 against Annecy (FRA) and Munich (GER).

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently added team competitions for men and women in Alpine skiing, mixed doubles in curling, a mass start in speedskating and Big Air in snowboarding to the Olympic programme. Medals will be awarded in four luge disciplines: men’s, women’s, doubles, and in the team relay competition, which has been featured in the Games since 2014.