The 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympics

For 14 days in February, the worlds best snow and ice athletes descended upon the tiny peninsular nation of South Korea.

An IT innovative leader and home to K-pop, South Korea was the home for the 2018 Olympic winter games., a successor to the 2014 Sochii games in Russia. The host city of Pyeong Chang is about 2 hours East of Seoul, on the North East coast of the country. The events were spread among 3 small cities, with Jinbu and Gangneung hosting the majority of the events. I was fortunate enough to attend 6 different events over the course of 2 weeks, also visiting some local attractions as well as Olympic team houses.

Korea Versus Switzerland - Men's Ice Hockey

The first event I attended was a round robin ice hockey game between the Koreans and the Swiss. Not an ideal match for hockey fans but a great experience nonetheless. When the NHLPA announced in 2017 that National Hockey League players would not be allowed to attend the Winter Olympics, I was furious. Being a Canadian sports fan and hoping to see the best players in the world, it was a huge disappointment learning that NHL players would not be attending . As a big hockey fan I still decided to check out a few games and cheer on my home nation and my host nation.

Unfortunately this was likely South Korea's first and last men's hockey team as they rank very low in the world rankings. The host nation of each Olympics is allowed to enter a team in each sport without having to qualify as a way of promoting sport in that nation. It was clear from the get go that the Korean men's hockey team was not quite at the same level as the other teams. They were outplayed during the entire event and the Swiss game was no different. The Swiss team dominated possession of the puck and easily cruised to an 8-0 win. As it was my first event of the Olympics, I had a great time even though Korea suffered defeat.

Men's Aerials

For those who don't know what aerial skiing is, let's just say its hard on the knees. It's a skiing event where skiers come flying down a hill and go off a large ramp, twisting and flipping through the air before somehow trying to safely land. I got a first hand account of the event and I'd say about 50% of the skiers were unable to land their jump. Below is a video I recorded of one of the skiers, the quality isn't great but it will give you an idea of the difficulty these guys are attempting.

As you can see, it takes a madman to even attempt what these guys are trying to pull off. How any person can do three flips with a 1080 degree twist is mind boggling. kudos to everyone who is an aerial athlete, my knees swell up just thinking about it.

Two Man Bobsleigh

Probably the most exciting event I saw during my Olympic trip, the two man bobsleigh was awesome. It's hard to describe how fast these guys are moving down the track. A split second and they are long gone. at some points on the track the sled is going so fast that when the go around the a corner the riders are completely parallel to the ground. The only problem with being a bobsleigh spectator is that you only get to see what is happening for a couple seconds before you have to wait for the next racers to come down the track. If you ever have a chance to see a bobsleigh event, do it.

I was lucky enough to witness two fellow Canadians take the gold in the two man event. It was a proud moment for me and lots of other country mates who made the trek to Pyeong Chang. Below is a GIPHY I made of the last run in the finals of the event. They actually ended up with the exact same time as the German team so both teams were awarded gold medals. It was a proud moment for the Red and White.

Canada VS Korea - Men's Ice Hockey

The most engaging event of the Olympics for me, I got to witness my hometown heroes take on the country I've lived in for the past 7 years. On top of that it was my girlfriend's @matildakim first ever Olympic event. We had great seats for the event, it was a packed house and was a great time. While I was being loud and obnoxious, cheering for my Canucks, the lady was rooting for the home team. It was a pretty easy 4-0 victory for the Canadians, but it was a very entertaining game, the Korean fans were very into it and it gives hope for their hockey program in the future.

Sweden Vs USA - Men's Curling

The last event of the Olympics was the gold medal match between the Swedes and the Americans. I was originally hoping for the Canadian team to reach the finals but as with all sports, you never know what's going to happen and that's why they play. For this event I decided to do a little more Steem/Steemit promotion, bringing lots of stickers and a large Steem sign. The match was very entertaining, a very close game until the 8th end. A huge end for the Americans, scoring 5 points, they pulled way out in front and essentially sealed up the gold medal.

As a huge sports fan, I really enjoyed being able to attend as many events as I did. The tickets were reasonably priced, comparable to other major sporting events. The volunteers were friendly and helpful. The transportation to and from the venues was well organized. Overall I think the Olympic games went over smoothly and I want to commend South Korea on a job well done. The next Olympics will be held in Tokyo, in 2020, if all goes to plan I will be attending those as well. If there is a major, global sporting event going on, you can bet on me being there.