PyeongChang 2018

IOC/Chung Sung-Jun

PyeongChang 2018's vision for the 2018 Games was to offer the Olympic Movement and the world of winter sports New Horizons - a legacy of new growth and new potential never seen before. Its Winter Games plan was one of the most compact in Olympic history, it offered a unique stage on which the world’s best athletes could achieve superior performances. With PyeongChang’s strategic position in Asia, and its access to a young and fast growing youth market, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games exposed new generations of potential athletes to the power of winter sport.

Soohorang

Soohorang, the mascot of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games took its motif from the white tiger.

WHERE THE EARTH MEETS THE SKY

The emblem’s design has its roots in Hangul, with the shapes that form the logo stemming from the first consonants of each syllable in the word “PyeongChang” when it is written in Hangul. The first character in the emblem also represents a gathering place where the three elements of Cheon-ji-in – heaven, earth, and human – are in harmony. The second character symbolises snow and ice, as well as the athletes’ stellar performances. PyeongChang 2018’s emblem symbolised a grand gathering of people from all around the world in celebration of Olympic winter sports, which took place in the harmonious land of PyeongChang – “A square where the earth meets the sky, and where athletes excel in snow or on ice - that’s where everyone will celebrate the world’s biggest winter festival in 2018.”

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The medals, which ranged in weight from 586 grams for the gold medal to 493 grams for the bronze, reflect the traditions and culture of the host nation. Their design was inspired by the texture of tree trunks, with the front bearing the Olympic rings and dynamic diagonal lines that reflect both the history of the Olympics and the determination of the participants. On the reserve, meanwhile, are stated the discipline, event and the PyeongChang 2018 emblem. In total, 259 sets of the medals have been made.

They are the work of celebrated South Korean designer Lee Suk-woo, who incorporated Hangeul – the Korean alphabet and the foundation of Korean culture – into their design through a series of consonants symbolising the effort of athletes from around the world, who came together as one to compete at PyeongChang 2018.

The ribbon from which the medal hangs was an equally important part of the design and had been created using gapsa, a traditional South Korean fabric. The light teal and light red ribbon from which the medals hang were also embroidered with Hangeul patterns and other designs.

Composition: Gold : a silver medal with a purity of 99.9% plated with 6 g of gold. Silver: a silver medal with a purity of 99.9%. Bronze: a copper medal (Cu90-Zn10).
Weight: Gold: 586 g. Silver: 580 g. Bronze: 493 g.
Diameter: 92.5 mm
Number of medals: 259

The torch was exactly 700mm in length, representing the altitude of PyeongChang, which is 700 meters above sea level. The white and gold tones of the torch mirror the main colours of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games Torch Relay, while the five-pronged shape of the flame is based on the Korean symbol for PyeongChang, which was also engraved around the bottom half and top of the torch.

The five-angled shape in the middle of the uniform cap was meant to represent the spirit of sports, which connects races, nations, religions, genders, cultures, as well as the five continents, united by a common passion for the Games.

Eight new medal events at PyeongChang took the total of golds to 102, more than any previous Olympic Winter Games. The new events added a new dimension to these Games, with the accent very much on increasing the appeal of the Olympic Winter programme to young audiences around the world. The snowboard Big Air
gave the Games a youthful vibe. The other new events all had a strong team ethic and helped the Games bridge the gender divide. For the first time in PyeongChang, a mixed doubles event in curling appeared alongside the traditional men's and women's team events. Alpine skiing, traditionally an individual sport, also had its own mixed team event for the first time. And finally, the speed skating programme in PyeongChang was rounded off with men's and women's 'mass start' events.

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The city of PyeongChang hosted the XXIII Olympic Winter Games. This followed 1 round of voting by the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 6 July 2011 at the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa.

Three cities were proposed by their National Olympic Committees to host the 2018 Games: Munich (GER), Annecy (FRA), and PyeongChang (KOR)*. At its meeting on 22 June 2010, the IOC Executive Board selected all three cities as Candidate Cities and they continued to the second phase of the bid process.

At the final vote in Durban, PyeongChang was elected with 63 votes to Munich's 25 votes and Annecy's 7 votes). This gave PyeongChang the majority that it needed to overcome the stiff competition put up by Munich and Annecy.

123rd IOC Session, 6 July 2011, Durban: Election of the Host City of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games

Round: 1
PyeongChang: 63
Munich: 25
Annecy: 7

* Listed in the order of drawing of lots