Finally, (almost) picture perfect weather for the Olympic Games today, after yesterday’s women’s individual biathlon event was canceled due to 45 mph winds–strong enough to make rifle shooting difficult. Other events were postponed as well including the women’s slalom which had been rescheduled after cancellation on Tuesday. Apparently, the wind wreaked havoc throughout the Olympic Park area and spectators were asked to move inside due to wind-damaged tents and flying debris. Based on murmurs heard from coaches and athletes around the field today, the conditions for the rescheduled event are much more preferable today.
(Have I mentioned how brutal the weather here is in PyeongChang?) It’s considered one of the coldest cities in the world and certainly one of the coldest Olympic venues for the Winter Games. Yeosong, our fellow Korean volunteer, told us the region is normally a major venue for fish drying–millions at a time; PyeongChang is the epicenter of “hwangtae” or dried pollock. Presumably fish drying is one industry where wind and cold are advantageous.
Speaking of our teammates, many will be celebrating the Chinese New Year tonight (celebrated by Koreans as well). Yeosong will be going to her grandmother’s house and eating blowfish, a family tradition.
Tomorrow is another day off for Team SU. Some of the group are going to the USA hockey game while some others are going to women’s snowboarding. Both groups will be navigating new bus lines and routes. We’ll see how that goes!
By Gina Daddario, Professor and Chair of Mass Communication, Posting from Sokcho, Korea
