2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games

Viktor Ahn Among Russians Who Lost Appeal to Compete at PyeongChang: South Korean-born short track skater Viktor Ahn and 46 other Russian athletes and coaches have lost their last minute appeals to compete in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) announced Friday at the Main Press Center in Pyeongchang that it turned down appeals against the International Olympic Committee's(IOC) decision not to invite them to compete in the games. Six-time gold medalist Ahn is Russia's most decorated short track skater. He has insisted he was not involved in the state-sponsored doping program which led to the exclusion. CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb said the applicants had failed to prove the IOC's evaluation that led to their exclusion had been discriminatory, arbitrary or unfair. He added that the process "created by the IOC to establish an invitation list of Russian athletes to compete as Olympic Athletes from Russia could not be described as a sanction but rather as an eligibility decision."; 2018-02-09
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UN Chief Says PyeongChang Olympics Will Mark Start of Peace: President Moon Jae-in and UN Secretary-General António Guterres met in Seoul on Friday and discussed the North Korean nuclear issue, affairs on the Korean Peninsula as well as global matters like sustainable development and climate change. It was their third meeting since they first sat down together in Hamburg in July last year. President Moon expressed hope that Secretary-General Guterres' trip to South Korea would “promote inclusion and solidarity” which is the philosophy and spirit of the United Nations, together with a message of peace from the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, where South Korea, North Korea and the rest of the world will become one. Guterres praised Moon and his government for their efforts to reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula, saying that the PyeongChang Olympics may be the start of promoting peace in the international community.; 2018-02-09
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Five Canadian Mogul Skiers Through to Finals: Five Canadians qualified for the mogul skiing finals Friday, getting their Olympic campaign off to a successful start. Mikael Kingsbury was awarded a score of 86-point-07 in the first qualifying round of the men’s mogul skiing event at Phoenix Park in Pyeongchang, topping the rankings. The Canadian will now progress to the first round of the finals along with the rest of the top ten ranking skiers, which included Kingsbury’s compatriot Philippe Marquis. Meanwhile in the women’s event, Canada’s Andi Naude, Justine Dufour-Lapointe and Audrey Robichaud all qualified for the first round of the finals. France’s Perrine Laffont finished first with a score of 79-point-72. No Korean skiers progressed to the next round of the competition. However, they will have another chance to advance to the finals in the second qualifying round on Monday.; 2018-02-09
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N. Korean High-Level Delegation Arrives in South: Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and Kim Yong-nam, the regime's ceremonial head of state arrived in South Korea on Friday, as part of the North's high-level delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The 22-member delegation traveled from Pyongyang on a private plane, landing at Incheon International Airport at 1:46 p.m. Led by Kim Yong-nam, the top-ranking officials include Choe Hwi, chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee, Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, and Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the propaganda department of the Workers' Party. The group was greeted by South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and Deputy Director at the Office of National Security Nam Gwan-pyo. The North Korean officials will attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics on Friday evening and hold a luncheon with President Moon Jae-in on Saturday, before returning to the North on Sunday.; 2018-02-09
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Japan Off to Perfect Start in Team Figure Skating Event: Japanese figure skater Shoma Uno performed a near-perfect routine Friday to give his country an early lead in the figure skating team event at the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. Uno was awarded a score of 103-point-25 points for his performance at the Gangneung Ice Arena, ensuring that he will finish first in the men’s short program of the team event. Alexei Bychenko of Israel came in second, followed by Canada’s Patrick Chan. American Nathan Chen, one of the favorites for the individual event, fell during his routine to leave him in fourth. South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan placed sixth out of the ten competing skaters. The team event sees competitors from the world's top ten figure skating nations compete in all four of the sport's disciplines, which are the men and women's singles, pair skating and ice dance. The top five nations then advance to the free program.; 2018-02-09
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Switzerland Lead in Curling, S. Korea Face 2nd Defeat: The Swiss mixed doubles curling team claimed their third consecutive win of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Friday morning, while South Korea suffered their second straight defeat. The Swiss team of Jenny Perret and Martin Rios beat American brother-sister duo Becca and Matt Hamilton 9-4 in their third round robin match at the Gangneung Curling Center, to top the group rankings. Switzerland started slowly but scored a remarkable six points in the final end to continue their perfect start to the games. Meanwhile, the South Korean team of Jang Hye-ji and Lee Ki-jeong lost 8-3 to Norwegian pair Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten. The loss follows the South Korean team's defeat to China on Thursday night. In the morning session’s other matches, Canada beat China 10-4 and Olympic Athletes from Russia defeated Finland 7-5.; 2018-02-09
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Pres. Moon to Attend PyeongChang Olympics' Opening Ceremony: President Moon Jae-in will attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games on Friday night. During the ceremony that will be held at the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza, Moon is set to welcome athletes from 92 countries together with top dignitaries who are visiting the nation for the Winter Games. Ahead of the opening ceremony, Moon will host a reception for top foreign dignitaries. At that event, the president is expected to meet with North Korea’s parliamentary chief, Kim Yong-nam, who is leading the North’s high-level delegation to the Olympics. The reception will also see the attendance of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member Han Zheng. Moon will continue his Olympics diplomacy on Friday, which will include hosting a summit with Abe.; 2018-02-09
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Moon, Pence Reaffirm Maximum Pressure on N. Korea: South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence have reaffirmed that their two nations will exert maximum pressure on North Korea to lead the regime to dialogue for denuclearization. Moon held a meeting with Pence on Thursday evening at the presidential office. Pence arrived in Seoul earlier in the day leading the U.S. presidential delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan said that Moon asserted the alliance between the two nations is "stronger than ever" and added their firm commitment to principles and close cooperation led North Korea to dialogue with Seoul and participation in the Olympics. In response, Pence conveyed U.S. President Donald Trump's support for the Olympics and reaffirmed the U.S.’ ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea. The two sides also agreed to continue close cooperation and consultation at diverse levels.; 2018-02-09
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Opening Ceremony for PyeongChang Winter Olympics to Kick Off Friday: Anchor: The opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Olympics will kick off on Friday. More than 29-hundred athletes from 92 countries are taking part in the world's biggest winter sports event and Team Korea hopes to finish in the top four. The games will run until February 25th. Our Park Jong-hong has this report. Report: The spirit of the Winter Games is running high, with the opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Olympics set to begin at 8 p.m. on Friday at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. It's the second Olympic Games that Korea is hosting since the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics 30 years ago and also the third-ever Winter Games held in Asia following the Nagano Games in 1998 and the Sapporo Games in 1972. For the following 17 days, the world’s athletes will be going all out to win medals to make their countries proud. Another significant feat for Korea is that it will have hosted not only the summer and winter games but also the World Cup and the World Athletics Championships, which are considered the top four global sports festivals. Only four other countries have achieved this milestone: France, Germany, Italy and Japan. What’s also making headlines is the inter-Korean unified team in women’s ice hockey, a first in Olympic history. The opening ceremony will feature inter-Korean athletes marching into the stadium together under the flag of a unified Korean Peninsula. Until recently tension had been rising due to North Korea’s missile and nuclear development and so there is hope that the Olympics will represent a thawing of icy relations as well as promote peace in the world. A total of 102 gold medals are up for grabs in 15 separate categories. Team Korea aims to garner eight golds, four silvers and eight bronzes to finish in the top four in the overall medal tally. Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.; 2018-02-09
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PyeongChang Winter Olympics to Open Friday: Anchor: The world’s biggest winter sports event has kicked off in South Korea Thursday. More than 29-hundred athletes from 92 countries will be taking part and Team Korea hopes to finish in the top four. The opening ceremony of the games is scheduled for Friday and the games will run until February 25th. Our Park Jong-hong has this report. Report: The spirit of the Winter Games is running high as the PyeongChang Olympics got under way on Thursday. It's the second Olympic Games that Korea is hosting since the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics 30 years ago and also the second-ever winter games held in Asia since the Nagano Games in Japan in 1972. The opening ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. on Friday at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium and for the following 17 days the world’s athletes will be going all out to win medals to make their countries proud. Another significant feat for Korea is that it will have hosted not only the summer and winter games but also the World Cup and the World Athletics Championships, which are considered the top four global sports festivals. Only four other countries have achieved this milestone; France, Germany, Italy and Japan. What’s also making headlines is the inter-Korean unified team in women’s ice hockey, a first in Olympic history. The opening ceremony will feature inter-Korean athletes marching into the stadium together under the flag of a unified Korean Peninsula. Until recently tension had been rising due to North Korea’s missile and nuclear development and so there is hope that the Olympics will represent a thawing of icy relations as well as promote peace in the world. A total of 102 gold medals are up for grabs in 15 separate categories. Team Korea aims to garner eight golds, four silvers and eight bronzes to finish in the top four in the overall medal tally. Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.; 2018-02-09
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