Top Winter Olympics facts: 11 things you may not know about the 2018 games

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Top Winter Olympics facts: 11 things you may not know about the 2018 games

As the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics have started, it's about time you brushed up on your knowledge about the Olympic Games.
So, here are 11 top facts for you to break the ice in any conversation.

1. Smallest host city since 1994

Pyeongchang will host it's first ever Winter Olympic games, and will be the smallest city to do so since the Lillehammer 1994 games in Norway.
Located in the Taebaek Mountain region, the city lies 177 km from Korea's capital Seoul.
What's more, it is situated only 64 km away from a demilitarised zone that lies between North and South Korea.

2. Welcome to high speed rail

In preparation for the games, a new high speed rail has been constructed to transport fans to and from the event.
The track opened in December 2017, and it will reduce the transport time from Seoul by half - now just taking approximately one and a quarter hours.

3. New $109 million stadium

Pyeongchang have built a brand new 35,000 seater for spectators. However, the venue will only be used to host the opening and closing ceremonies.
Not only that, but it's cost the organisers $109 million to construct and will then be torn down afterwards. 

4. Big budget

Not content with just spending so much on the new stadium, the budget for the games as a whole is HUGE.
So far the costs have spiralled and the end figure will be approximately £13 billion.

5. Athlete central

The Olympic village is always a focal point for attention as all the athletes get together for the duration of their stay.
There are two separate villages this year, with the main one in Pyeongchang housing up to 3,894 performers and official team members.
The second over in Gangneung isn't exactly small either, playing host to a further 2,900 people.

6. New events

This year, winter sports fans see a bit more action than usual, with four new events set to be included.
The IOC has made some additions to the schedule, with big air snowboarding, freestyle skiing, mass start speed skating and mixed doubles curling all due to feature.
That means a total of 102 events across the 15 sports.

7. No NHL

The National Hockey League has decided that there players will not be permitted to take part, after failing to agree to a break in their regular season.

8. Meet Soohorang

Here's the new mascot for the 2018 games - Soohorang!
Organisers opted for a tiger due to the cultural roots of Korea and it's place in native mythology.
It is also regarded as a symbol of strength, protection and trust in Korean folklore.

9. Russian controversy

Following their own admission, Russia will not be competing in this years games due to their previous approval of a statewide doping programme.
Russian athletes are still permitted to take part, on condition that they can prove they are clean from any drugs. They will have to compete under a neutral flag however, and will have to follow a special code of conduct.
So come what may, by the end of the tournament the records will still show zero medals for Russia no matter the results.

10. The unification of North and South Korea

Tensions between the two neighbouring countries have been running high.
But both nations have confirmed that they will compete under the same flag for the first time at a winter Olympics this year.

11. The raunchiest Winter Olympics yet
Organisers are handing out 110,000 condoms to athletes taking part in PyeongChang this year - a new record for the winter games.
With 2,925 athletes taking part, that is enough for each participant to have sex 37 times over the 16 days of action.

Original source: www.mirror.co.uk

VOCABULARY:

• It's about time you brushed up on your knowledge – уже пора освежить знания. После структуры It's about time всегда употребляется прошедшее время, Past Simple, поскольку она относится к гипотетическим. Еще одним из вариантов является It's high time.  
• To break the ice – «растопить лед», часто используется в ситуациях, когда люди знакомятся, и им необходимо преодолеть неловкость.
• So far the costs have spiralled – – на данный момент расходы стремительно выросли. Мы часто говорим в таких случаях – «выросли в геометрической прогрессии». А Present Perfect и so far используется для того, чтобы передать результат на данный момент. 
• A focal point for attention – центр внимания.
• Mascot – талисман.
• Organisers opted for a tiger – организаторы выбрали тигра.
• Russian controversy – дискуссии, споры вокруг России. Слово controversy очень часто встречается в прессе. Controversial question or topic – спорный вопрос, тема.
• To follow a special code of conduct – следовать особому кодексу поведения.
• Come what may – идиома, которая используется, когда мы полагаемся на судьбу: будь что будет; пан или пропал.
• Tensions between the two neighbouring countries have been running high – напряжение между соседними странами продолжает расти. В данном случае Present Perfect Continuous употребляется именно для того, чтобы передать действие, которое началось в прошлом и длится до сих пор. Так, временный союз двух Корей на Олимпиаде не значит решение политических споров.
• The raunchiest Winter Olympics – наиболее чувствительные и страстные зимние Олимпийские игры. Осторожно: это слово относится к разговорной лексике.