By Melissa Austin on 2018-02-02
Great Britain will send its largest ever team to South Korea Winter Olympics with 59 athletes selected for Pyeongchang.
The 2018 Winter Olympics kick off on the 9th of February in Seoul. South Korea will play host to an epic two-week sporting spectacular followed by the Para Olympics on the 9th – 18th March. With 102 challenging events across 15 different winter sports, including four new disciplines, big air snowboarding, (which replaces parallel slalom) mixed doubles curling, mass start speed skating and mixed team alpine skiing to mention just a few. Team GB is looking great and aiming to beat its best-ever haul of four medals achieved in both 1924 and 2014.
Every Olympics seems to be surrounded with some sort of controversy and none more so than South Korea, but on the eve of such a brilliant event it’s wonderful however sceptical you may be, its great to see countries coming together in the name of sport. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee said “The Olympic Games are always about building bridges; they never erect walls,” North Korea will send 22 athletes to Pyeongchang to compete in five sports. The women’s ice hockey team will compete under a unified Korean banner. The two countries will march under a single flag at the opening ceremony on 9 February. “The Olympic spirit is about respect, dialogue and understanding. The Winter Games are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean peninsula, and inviting the world to join in a celebration of hope.”
If your lucky enough to be heading out to Seoul, the rewards are not just getting to watch the games but the bragging rights of visiting a country not on the international radar for most skiers and snowboarders.
2018 is also a big year for Montgomery Duffle as our iconic hand made Duffle Coats are now available to buy in South Korea. And with the weather predicted to be the coldest on record, Olympic organisers are reportedly so concerned that they are giving out heating pads and Blankets. Temperatures in PyeongChang is one of the coldest regions in South Korea and where the Olympics opening ceremony will be held, temperatures could hover around 7 degrees Fahrenheit. At nearly a half mile above sea level, PyeongChang is also known for biting winds that come in from the Manchurian Plain and Siberia. Advice from local Koreans is to “bundle up,” “Not many outsiders understand how cold it gets here. It’s not like where they’re from. This kind of cold is completely different.” So whether you’re heading out to Korea or watching from the comfort of home, get out your flags and cheer on team GB, but stay warm. It’s still very much winter!
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