Winter Olympics: Pyeongchang frigid, Personnel GB, Russia and a united Korea

The Twenty third Winter Olympics launch in Pyeongchang on Friday and are location to be the coldest in history.

The invent-up has seen relatives thaw between North and South Korea, with the international locations fielding a joint females’s ice hockey crew, whereas there has been controversy over the 169 Russian athletes location to compete as neutrals.

Personnel GB comprise despatched a file fifty 9 athletes to South Korea – three extra than at Sochi 2014 – and are aiming for his or her most a success Winter Games, with a medal target of 5 or extra.

Over 17 days, extra than three,000 of the sector’s handiest athletes will compete in 102 medal occasions in 15 sports.

Spherical 77% of tickets had been purchased – roughly 826,000 – across the thirteen venues in South Korea.

That you simply would be succesful of discover the complete motion across BBC TV, radio and digital channels, as well to the BBC Sport web whisper, the keep dwell streams and on-depend on clips could also moreover be seen on desktop, tablet and cellular.

The coldest Games in history?

Heat pads, blankets, a warmth seat cushion and raincoats are on provide for spectators as they put collectively to obtain out about indecent sport in indecent weather in Pyeongchang, the keep temperatures dip below zero for a 3rd of the year.

The Games are held around two significant venues – Alpensia, the mountain resort, and Gangneung on the flee, with stand-by myself venues in Bokwang and Jeongseon.

While residents of Gangneung are treated to rather warmth temperatures – ranging between -6C and -2C – the wind sit back in the mountainous areas formulation it will feel as frigid as -25C.

That will sight the Games surpass the 1994 model in Lillehammer, Norway, the keep temperatures dipped to -11C.

The 35,000-seater cause-built Olympic Stadium, situated north east of Alpensia, has been built with out a roof and temperatures for Friday’s opening ceremony – which starts at 20:00 native time (11:00 GMT) – are forecast to drop to -5C.

This could also for sure fluctuate from Sochi four years ago, when temperatures as high as 20C seen the Games rush down because the warmest on file.

But there could be solely correct data for these attending Friday’s curtain-raiser, with temperatures anticipated to be « now not problematic to having the outlet ceremony », per Korean Meteorological Administration deputy director Choi Heung-jin.

The frigid has now not been the finest project in the invent-up, as 86 cases of norovirus had been confirmed among security workers, resulting in troopers having to interchange them as guards.

Who are Personnel GB’s medal hopes?

Four years ago, Britain’s Lizzy Yarnold acquired skeleton gold in Sochi, the curling crew acquired silver and bronze and Jenny Jones secured snowboard bronze, the principle British medal on snow.

That became their joint handiest medal total alongside 1924, however Personnel GB will be seeking to form Pyeongchang a file-breaking Games.

These are Britain’s top possibilities:

Alpine snowboarding: In January 2017, Lancashire’s Dave Ryding, 31, equalled Britain’s handiest World Cup close, picking up slalom silver in Kitzbuhel. He will purpose for his first Olympic medal on the third strive.

Bobsleigh: The males’s four came fifth in Sochi however comprise since been upgraded to bronze after two Russian teams had been disqualified following the country’s doping scandal. The two four-man teams in Pyeongchang comprise each picked up World Cup medals in the bustle-up to the Games.

Bad country snowboarding: Scotland’s Andrew Musgrave, 27, is for the time being ranked 18th in the sector. He comes into his third Games having acquired World Cup 15km freestyle bronze in December and done fourth in the 50km freestyle on the 2017 World Championships.

Curling: The females’s rink, skippered by 27-year-typical Eve Muirhead, are the reigning European champions and acquired bronze in Sochi. The males’s rink acquired silver four years ago however the crew has been overhauled for Pyeongchang. The unique-see aspect, led by 25-year-typical Kyle Smith, took European silver in November.

Freestyle snowboarding: In slopestyle, Personnel GB comprise James Woods, Izzy Atkin and Katie Summerhayes in their ranks. Summerhayes, 22, acquired World Cup silver in November, whereas each United States-born Atkin, 19, and James Woods, 26, acquired X Games medals in January.

Quick discover: After suffering three disqualifications in Sochi, Scotland’s Elise Christie, 27, goes into her third Olympics having acquired 1,000m, 1500m and total gold on the World Championships in Rotterdam in 2017.

Skeleton: Kent’s Lizzy Yarnold, 29, acquired Britain’s handiest gold of the Sochi Olympics. Even though she has struggled for invent this season, she did claim bronze in the World Cup at Lake Placid.

Snowboarding: X Games great air bronze medallist Billy Morgan, 28, done seventh in Sochi and hopes to be in competition for a medal this time. But Katie Ormerod, 20, misses the Games after suffering a severely fractured fair correct heel in practicing on Thursday.

Korea unites

Following the principle high-level political talks in two years, North Korea comprise despatched 22 athletes in 5 sports across the border to Pyeongchang after agreeing a leap forward deal.

The two international locations will march collectively on the outlet ceremony beneath a united flag and could field a joint females’s ice hockey crew – a rush that has proved unpopular with some in the south, who comprise the boring inclusion of North Korean gamers will jeopardise their possibilities of a medal.

The crew performed collectively for the principle time on Sunday in their handiest discover match, which they misplaced three-1 to Sweden.

As neatly as skiers and resolve skaters, the North are also sending tons of of delegates, cheerleaders and performers.

There had been exiguous protests against the unified crew, whereas tons of of South Koreans demonstrated on Tuesday as a ship from North Korea carrying around 120 performers arrived on the jap port of Mukho.

Russians change into neutrals

Russia topped the medal table at their home Games in Sochi, however the country became banned from competing in Pyeongchang by the World Olympic Committee (IOC) following an investigation into whisper-sponsored doping.

The IOC has invited 169 Russians who comprise met the anti-doping criteria to compete as self satisfactory athletes, and a extra 47 athletes and coaches comprise appealed against their exclusion from the Games, including the 28 athletes who had their lifestyles bans lifted by the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) final week.

A option on whether or now not these 47 athletes and coaches can purchase segment could now not be made till Friday, after a Cas appeal hearing became adjourned till Thursday.

The Russians who’re competing as neutrals will close so beneath the IOC flag, having been warned now to now not copy their country’s tricolour flag the use of their kit.

A game of firsts

Skiers Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and snowboarder Shaun White will be some of the stars on show camouflage in Korea.

However the Games are now not purely in regards to the medal contenders from the everyday giants, and there’ll be a form of firsts.

Akwasi Frimpong has swapped the discover for the ice as he turns into Ghana’s first Olympic skeleton athlete and the first murky skeleton athlete in the Winter Olympics.

Jamaica will comprise its first females’s bobsleigh crew lining up in Pyeongchang, whereas Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, and Akuoma Omeoga will characterize Nigeria in the same discipline.

The Nigeria trio are their country’s first Winter Olympians, and the principle African sled to compete on the Winter Olympics.

Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua, who carried his country’s flag on the Rio Olympics in 2016, has swapped taekwondo for gruesome-country snowboarding.