Photo: REUTERS
Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games from February 9 to February 25. About 2,500 athletes will take part in them. They will compete for 102 sets of medals in 15 disciplines.
History
The Winter Olympic Games have been held since 1924. Previously, two winter sports - figure skating and ice hockey - were presented at the Summer Olympics. But at first, the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix was timed to coincide with the Summer Games and was called "International Sports Week on the occasion of the VIII Olympiad." The success of the competition was so great that it was decided to hold the Winter Games at the same frequency as the Summer Olympics - once every four years.
This rule has been violated twice. The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were canceled due to World War II. The second time, the frequency has changed for a pleasant reason. The International Olympic Committee has decided that it is not very good to hold both Summer and Winter Games in the same year. And then the "white" Olympics were shifted for two years: so the 16th and 17th Winter Games in Albertville -92 and Lillehammer -94 were separated by only two years.
Disciplines and awards
At the first Winter Olympics in 1924, only 14 sets of awards were played. But with each Games, the number of participants and the number of disciplines grew, and there will already be more than 100 award ceremonies in Pyeongchang.
For 2018, the winter Olympic sports include:
Skiing
Ski race
Ski jumping
Ski nordic
Freestyle
Snowboard
Figure skating
Skating
Short track
Skeleton
Luge
Hockey
Venues
Since winter sports require special infrastructure, such as ice skating rinks, jumps, ski trails, and more, the "white" Olympics were held only on three continents - in Europe, North America and Asia. Moreover, the Asians got into this company. Only in 1972, when the Games were held in Sapporo, Japan. In fact, Asia should have appeared on this list much earlier. But in 1940, the Olympics in Sapporo were canceled due to World War II.
Russia and the USSR at the Winter Olympics
It is a paradox, but Russia won the first gold medal in winter sports at the Summer Olympics. And this was generally the first Olympic gold in the history of the country. At the 1908 Games in London, skater Nikolai Panin-Kolmenkin became the champion in the discipline of "special figures", which was no longer represented in the program at the subsequent Olympiads. It is noteworthy that Panin-Kolmenkin also participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics, but already in pistol shooting competitions.
The USSR national team took part in the 1956 Winter Olympics for the first time. And immediately she won 7 gold medals, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals, becoming the first in the unofficial team competition.
In 1992, after the collapse of the USSR, Russian athletes played in the united CIS team under the Olympic flag. And since 1994, the Russian national team has already been an independent team.
Winter Olympics records
Olympic records in winter competitions are recorded in only two sports: speed skating and short track speed skating. Because in all other disciplines, where the flight time or distance is recorded, for example, in ski jumping, a lot depends on the topography of the tracks or the very design of the sports facility.
Russian luger Albert Demchenko took part in seven Olympiads! This is a kind of absolute Olympic record. His first Games were Albertville-92, and he finished his performances in Sochi -2014. True, Demchenko did not manage to win gold - he has only three "silver".
Lydia Skoblikova won two gold medals at the 1960 games, and four years later - four more, and is the only 6-time Olympic champion in speed skating.
Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is an 8-time Olympic champion. In Sochi, at the age of 40, he won three gold medals.
Karl-August Kronlund from Sweden is the oldest Olympic medalist. He won crewing silver with Sweden at age 59 and 155 days.
South Korean athlete Kim Yun Mi is the youngest champion. In the 1994 short track speed skating competition, she won the 3000m relay at the age of 13 years and 85 days.
Photo: REUTERS
Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games from February 9 to February 25. About 2,500 athletes will take part in them. They will compete for 102 sets of medals in 15 disciplines.
History
The Winter Olympic Games have been held since 1924. Previously, two winter sports - figure skating and ice hockey - were presented at the Summer Olympics. But at first, the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix was timed to coincide with the Summer Games and was called "International Sports Week on the occasion of the VIII Olympiad." The success of the competition was so great that it was decided to hold the Winter Games at the same frequency as the Summer Olympics - once every four years.
This rule has been violated twice. The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were canceled due to World War II. The second time, the frequency has changed for a pleasant reason. The International Olympic Committee has decided that it is not very good to hold both Summer and Winter Games in the same year. And then the "white" Olympics were shifted for two years: so the 16th and 17th Winter Games in Albertville -92 and Lillehammer -94 were separated by only two years.
Disciplines and awards
At the first Winter Olympics in 1924, only 14 sets of awards were played. But with each Games, the number of participants and the number of disciplines grew, and there will already be more than 100 award ceremonies in Pyeongchang.
For 2018, the winter Olympic sports include:
Skiing
Ski race
Ski jumping
Ski nordic
Freestyle
Snowboard
Figure skating
Skating
Short track
Skeleton
Luge
Hockey
Venues
Since winter sports require special infrastructure, such as ice skating rinks, jumps, ski trails, and more, the "white" Olympics were held only on three continents - in Europe, North America and Asia. Moreover, the Asians got into this company. Only in 1972, when the Games were held in Sapporo, Japan. In fact, Asia should have appeared on this list much earlier. But in 1940, the Olympics in Sapporo were canceled due to World War II.
Russia and the USSR at the Winter Olympics
It is a paradox, but Russia won the first gold medal in winter sports at the Summer Olympics. And this was generally the first Olympic gold in the history of the country. At the 1908 Games in London, skater Nikolai Panin-Kolmenkin became the champion in the discipline of "special figures", which was no longer represented in the program at the subsequent Olympiads. It is noteworthy that Panin-Kolmenkin also participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics, but already in pistol shooting competitions.
The USSR national team took part in the 1956 Winter Olympics for the first time. And immediately she won 7 gold medals, 3 silver and 6 bronze medals, becoming the first in the unofficial team competition.
In 1992, after the collapse of the USSR, Russian athletes played in the united CIS team under the Olympic flag. And since 1994, the Russian national team has already been an independent team.
Winter Olympics records
Olympic records in winter competitions are recorded in only two sports: speed skating and short track speed skating. Because in all other disciplines, where the flight time or distance is recorded, for example, in ski jumping, a lot depends on the topography of the tracks or the very design of the sports facility.
Russian luger Albert Demchenko took part in seven Olympiads! This is a kind of absolute Olympic record. His first Games were Albertville-92, and he finished his performances in Sochi -2014. True, Demchenko did not manage to win gold - he has only three "silver".
Lydia Skoblikova won two gold medals at the 1960 games, and four years later - four more, and is the only 6-time Olympic champion in speed skating.
Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is an 8-time Olympic champion. In Sochi, at the age of 40, he won three gold medals.
Karl-August Kronlund from Sweden is the oldest Olympic medalist. He won crewing silver with Sweden at age 59 and 155 days.
South Korean athlete Kim Yun Mi is the youngest champion. In the 1994 short track speed skating competition, she won the 3000m relay at the age of 13 years and 85 days.
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. China - Switzerland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Canada - Norway | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. South Korea - Finland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. USA - Russia | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. USA - Canada | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. South Korea - China | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Finland - Switzerland | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Russia - Norway | qualification |
02:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Russia - Finland | qualification |
02:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. South Korea - Norway | qualification |
02:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. China - Canada | qualification |
02:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. USA - Switzerland | qualification |
07:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Canada - Finland | qualification |
07:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. USA - South Korea | qualification |
07:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Norway | qualification |
07:35 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. China - Russia | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. China - USA | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Norway - Finland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Canada - Switzerland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. South Korea - Russia | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Switzerland - South Korea | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Russia - Canada | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Finland - China | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Mixed pairs. Preliminary round. Norway - USA | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Canada - Italy | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. South Korea - USA | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Switzerland - UK | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Denmark - Sweden | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Denmark - Sweden | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Switzerland - China | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Japan - USA | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Russia - Great Britain | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Norway - Japan | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Italy | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Canada - UK | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. South Korea - Sweden | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Canada - South Korea | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. UK - USA | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Denmark - Japan | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. China - Russia | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Norway - Canada | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. USA - Italy | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Denmark - Switzerland | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. UK - Japan | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. South Korea - Japan | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. China - UK | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Canada - Sweden | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. USA - Switzerland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Italy - Denmark | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Sweden - USA | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Norway - South Korea | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Sweden - Russia | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Denmark - Canada | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. South Korea - Switzerland | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Denmark - USA | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Sweden - UK | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Japan - Switzerland | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Canada - South Korea | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Sweden | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Denmark - UK | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Japan - China | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Russia - USA | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Canada - Sweden | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. South Korea - UK | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Norway | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Japan - Italy | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Russia - Japan | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. South Korea - UK | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. USA - Canada | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. China - Denmark | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Norway - Denmark | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. USA - Japan | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Canada | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Canada - Switzerland | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. China - South Korea | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. United Kingdom - Sweden | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. USA - Norway | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Denmark - South Korea | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Italy - UK | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Sweden - Japan | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. USA - Denmark | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Russia - Switzerland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Sweden - South Korea | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Japan - Canada | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. USA - Canada | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Italy - South Korea | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Sweden - Switzerland | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. UK - Denmark | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Japan - Sweden | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Denmark - Russia | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. China - USA | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. UK - Switzerland | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. UK - Norway | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Italy - Sweden | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Japan - Canada | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. South Korea - Switzerland | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Canada - China | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. USA - South Korea | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. UK - Japan | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Norway - Italy | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Japan - Denmark | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Switzerland - USA | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. South Korea - Russia | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Sweden - China | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Canada - UK | qualification |
03:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Denmark | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. South Korea - Japan | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Denmark - Canada | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. UK - USA | qualification |
08:05 | Curling. Men. Preliminary round. Sweden - Norway | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. South Korea - Denmark | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Sweden - USA | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Russia - Canada | qualification |
14:05 | Curling. Women. Preliminary round. Switzerland - Japan | qualification |
14:00 | Skating. Women. Team race. Semi-finals | semifinal |
14:22 | Skating. Men. Team race. Semi-finals | semifinal |
14:54 | Skating. Women. Team race. Consolation finals | consolation playoffs |
15:13 | Skating. Men. Team race. Consolation finals | consolation playoffs |
15:52 | Skating. Women. Team race. Small finale | for 3rd place |
15:58 | Skating. Women. Team race. The final | the final |
16:11 | Skating. Men. Team race. Small finale | for 3rd place |
16:17 | Skating. Men. Team race. The final | the final |
05:00 | Snowboard. Men. Big air | the final |
06:00 | Snowboard. Women. Parallel giant slalom. 1/8 finals | 1/8 finals |
06:15 | Snowboard. Men. Parallel giant slalom. 1/8 finals | 1/8 finals |
06:30 | Snowboard. Women. Parallel giant slalom. Quarterfinals | 1/4 finals |
06:38 | Snowboard. Men. Parallel giant slalom. Quarterfinals | 1/4 finals |
06:48 | Snowboard. Women. Parallel giant slalom. Semi-finals | semifinal |
06:52 | Snowboard. Men. Parallel giant slalom. Semi-finals | semifinal |
08:28 | Snowboard. Women. Parallel giant slalom. Small finale | for 3rd place |
08:30 | Snowboard. Women. Parallel giant slalom. The final | the final |
08:34 | Snowboard. Men. Parallel giant slalom. Small finale | for 3rd place |
08:37 | Snowboard. Men. Parallel giant slalom. The final | the final |
09:35 | Curling. Men. The final. Sweden - USA | the final | |||
14:05 | Curling. Women. Small finale. Japan - UK | 32 | 5 | 10 | |
12 | Russia | 2 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
13 | Czech Republic | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
14 | Belarus | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
15 | China | 1 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
16 | Slovakia | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
17 | Finland | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
18 | Great Britain | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
19 | Poland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
20 | Hungary | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
21 | Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
22 | Australia | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
23 | Slovenia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
24 | Belgium | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
25 | Spain | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
26 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
27 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
28 | Latvia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
29 | Liechtenstein | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
23rd Winter Olympics
The 23rd Winter Olympic Games kicked off in South Korean Pyeongchang on February 9, 2018. The first ones were held in 1924 in French Chamonix, however, they received the status of the Olympic Games from the IOC after they were held. Initially, the competition in Chamonix was called International Winter Sports Week.
130/80 (not) safe
Pyeongchang is located in the Taebaek Mountains, 130 kilometers east of Seoul. Winter is long and snowy there. So the conditions for winter sports are ideal. But the fact that the border with North Korea is located 80 kilometers from Pyeongchang can scare off many fans.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
43 700 - peace and prosperity
Pyeongchang in Korean means peace and prosperity. There is no better slogan for the Olympics. At the same time, the population of Pyeongchang itself is only 9,940 people. More than 43,700 people live in the district of the same name.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
35,000 Olympic Stadium
The stadium in Pyeongchang was built specifically for the 2018 Winter Olympics. It is designed for 35,000 spectators who will be able to watch the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
Difference in time
Many sports fans who have come to Pyeongchang, for example, from Europe, will have to endure certain inconveniences associated with the time difference. Between Berlin and Seoul, it is 8 hours. And between Moscow and Seoul - 6. According to Central European time, the competition will be held in the afternoon and even at night. The opening of the Games took place on February 9, the Europeans saw it exactly at noon.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
15 kinds of sports
Athletes from all over the world take part in competitions in 15 sports. The overwhelming majority of them are traditional: skiing, biathlon, alpine skiing, hockey. At the same time, the IOC included six new disciplines in the 2018 Olympics program: mass start in speed skating (men and women), big air in snowboarding (men and women), team competitions in alpine skiing and double mixed curling.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
3000 athletes
Nearly 3,000 athletes will compete for Olympic medals in Pyeongchang. "Pure" Russian athletes not involved in a doping scandal are allowed to participate in the Games under a neutral flag.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
Consequences of the doping scandal
On December 5, the IOC suspended the Russian national team from participating in the Games in Pyeongchang due to a doping scandal. At the same time, the IOC invited 169 "clean" athletes from the Russian Federation to participate in the Games under a neutral flag. On the opening day of the Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, having considered the appeals of 45 Russian athletes and 2 coaches against the IOC decision, did not allow any of them to participate in the Olympic Games.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
For the first time without German curlers
For the first time since 1998, when curling was again included in the program of the Winter Olympics, German athletes will not take part in the medal competition in this sport. Both the men's and women's teams failed to qualify for the Games.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
377 German national team medals
377 Olympic medals have been won by German athletes throughout the history of the Winter Olympic Games. Athletes representing Germany won a total of 136 medals of the highest rank. And also in the piggy bank of the Olympic team of Germany there are 135 silver and 106 bronze medals.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
Germany in sixth place
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the German national team had 19 medals: 8 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze. German athletes in the unofficial team event were in sixth place.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
Seventh Games for the Best German Athlete
Five-time Olympic champion Claudia Pechstein, with a total of 9 medals of various denominations, is the best German athlete to go to the 2018 Winter Olympics. In Pyeongchang, she will celebrate not only her participation in the seventh Olympics for her, but also her 46th birthday.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
More than a million tickets for the Olympics for fans
The sale of tickets for the Olympic competition was sluggish. Of the 1.07 million entrance tickets, only about 30 percent were sold. Koreans are not very interested in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Many cannot afford expensive tickets and hotel accommodation near sports arenas.
Olympic Games 2018 in numbers
7,500 torchbearers participated in the Olympic torch relay
7,500 torchbearers took part in the Olympic torch relay. They carried it through all important cities and regions of South Korea and lit it during the opening ceremony of the Olympics at the stadium in Pyeongchang. The longest and largest in the history of the Winter Olympic Games was the Sochi 2014 Olympic torch relay.