Striking satellite images reveal the 13 venues where athletes will compete in this month’s Games in South Korea. The games get underway in the city of PyeongChang, an alpine ski resort town east of the capital Seoul Venues completed and ready to go, including the main stadium which was built without roof to save money.
New photographs taken from a satellite show deserted venues for the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea. The games get underway on February 8 in the city of PyeongChang, an alpine ski resort town of 43,000 people about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Seoul. These new images, taken by DigitalGlobe’s satellite, show the venues, including the $58 million stadium, which was without a roof to save time and money. The lack of a roof led the organisers to fear the estimated 35,000 spectators, including world leaders, who will gather for the opening ceremony, would be exposed to extreme cold.
The PyeongChang games organisers had urged the government to equip the stadium with a roof and heating, but this was rejected due to costs and concerns over whether the structure would support a roof. The temporary arena is to be dismantled after the Games. In a bid to keep people warm, organisers will be be distributing hot packs and blankets and speeding up security checks, and also plan to use audience participation during pre-ceremony entertainment to help keep spectators warm.
PyeongChang will welcome nearly 3,000 athletes from nearly 100 nations for the first Winter Olympics to be held on South Korean soil.
A record 102 gold medals will be up for grabs in 15 disciplines at the game, with four events will be making their Winter Olympic debuts, including Big Air snowboarding. In total, 13 venues, split between PyeongChang and neighboring city Gangneung, will be used during the Games.