3000 athletes from 95 nations will march at the Winter Olympic Games 2018
Nearly 3000 athletes from 95 nations will march in unison in the presence of several heads of States to give a warm and colorful to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games tomorrow. Because of the extremely cold weather, perhaps the coldest of the past four editions, the organizers are doing everything at their command, including providing blankets, to those who want to be part of the colorful bash that showcases South Korea on Friday evening. A special stadium erected for only opening and closing ceremonies here in PyeongChang is without a roof and has no physical barriers to prevent strong chilly winds sweeping the venue with the temperature expected to be around seven degrees Fahrenheit. The previous coldest Winter Olympic Games were in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994 while the last two editions - Sochi and Vancouver - were clubbed in the warmer winter category. The 23rd edition of the Winter Olympic Games will be held in northeastern South Korea, including the hilly PyeongChang, the coastal area of Gangneung and Jeongseon. Since the venue of the opening ceremony is at a higher latitude than the other Olympic venue sites, PyeongChang draws severe cold weather.The stadium can seat about 35,000 spectators. There are not many Koreans keen to attend the opening ceremony. They would rather prefer to watch it on Television in little warmer environs. Looking at past records, PyeongChang has been one of the coldest regions in South Korea as it is located at nearly a half mile above sea level. It is also notorious for its biting winds that come sweeping in from the Manchurian Plain and Siberia. The Organising Committee of PyeongChang Olympic Committee spent about $58 million to build the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium without a roof. As a part of cost-cutting, even no central heating has been provided because it would have been too expensive. To keep the spectators attracted, the organizers hope to provide spectators with heating pads, a blanket, and a raincoat, besides other things. according to the AP. They also plan to put up polycarbonate walls along the highest points of the stadium to block winds and provide portable gas heaters between rows. People can also buy hot drinks and food in the stadium. The meteorologists predict that temperature during the Olympic Games this time will be lower than temperatures recorded during the 1994 Lillehammer Games in Norway, which has the record for the coldest Olympics thus far, at negative 11 degrees Celsius, or about 12 degrees Fahrenheit. The 2018 Winter Olympics may set several new records, including being the coldest. But it’s not the first recent Winter Olympics to have weather issues — the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the 2014 Games in Sochi became famous for not being cold enough during their respective games. Temperatures were above freezing during the competitions, causing snow to melt. Canada will have a substantial number of athletes in the march past as those who have events either tomorrow or on Saturday may be allowed to skip the ceremony, President of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Olympian Tricia Smith, announced today. She says that Canadian athletes are putting the Russian Dope controversy behind to focus on the evenings in the Olympics. -PTC News
