The Winter Olympics may be over, but the sporting action is not, as PyeongChang hosts the Paralympic Games for the next 10 days.
The Paralympic Games 2018 consists of six events: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country Skiing, Ice Hockey, Snowboarding and Wheelchair Curling. Check out the cute Paralympics mascot Bandabi demonstrating the events here. He’s an Asiatic Black Bear, the symbol of Gangwon Province, and he was chosen to represent athletes’ strong will and courage.
The venues used are the same as the Olympic games, but the equipment, technique and scoring has been adjusted and adapted for people with a wide variety of impairments. The skiing events, for example, group athletes according to the kind of impairment they have, so that everyone competes fairly.
Just as with the Olympics, Korean idols and celebrities have been involved in promoting the Paralympic games. Actor Kwak Dowon, comedienne Park Kyunglim and Infinite’s Lee Sungjong all took part in the Paralympic torch relay earlier this week. At the opening ceremony, veteran idols Clon performed some of their hits. Member Kang Wonrae uses a wheelchair, since an accident five years ago left him with a lower body paralysis.
Watch live games from now until 18 March on the Paralympic YouTube channel. Check the daily schedule and info about each sport on the official Pyeongchang Paralympics page.
