Gangwon residents rally for favorable results

A recent opinion survey showed that as much as 84% of Koreans polled believed the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was “a great success,” with sales of tickets reaching 109.9%, according to Lee Hee-beom, chief of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Lee also said he was very pleased to hear that Pope Francis remarked, "PyeongChang has shown that sports is capable of constructing bridges and clearly contributing to peace between countries which are in conflict.”

At the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the inter-Korean national team is entering simultaneously with the Korean Peninsula Flag.

2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will be recorded as “great success,” along with the Winter Paralympic Games. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach praised the Winter Olympics at PyeongChang as "great success” as the Games ended on February 25.

"I think at the end of this Olympic Winter Games at PyeongChang 2018 we can all be very happy for many different reasons," he told reporters. The Olympics were successful in many areas. Most importantly, he said there were no major incidents. There were some minor accidents and crimes. But all the athletes have returned to their homes safely.

Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closing ceremony

Moreover, he noted that the Olympics has brought South and North Koreas ― two neighbors that had long been hostile to each other ― closer, creating a “peaceful atmosphere for talks.”

The South Korean delegation for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games officially disbanded on March 19 after finishing its 10-day hard work.
The closing ceremony was held at PyeongChang Athletes' Village in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games ran for 17 days through February 25.

Chairman Lee Hee-beom of the organizing committee for Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (standing) makes a speech at the opening ceremony

"Korea made history in its disabled sports by winning the most medals at a Winter Paralympics," said Korean Paralympic Committee President Lee Myung-ho. "But regardless of medals, you are all victors and champions." South Korea’s 36-member team collected one gold and two bronze medals finish 16th in the medal standings, South Korea's best-ever performance at the Winter Paralympics.

Residents of Gangwon Province were behind the success of PyeonChang Winter and Paralympic Olympics. In other words, the residents have done a lot to make the Olympics successful.

During the Winter Olympics, 1,708 Gangwon residents served as volunteers, cheerfully braving sub-zero temperatures. A total of 864 volunteers contributed their time and efforts during the Paralympic Games. In total, 18,968 people volunteered for the Winter Olympics and 4,550 people for the Paralympics.

At the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, children and a giant white tiger are performing

With the aim of encouraging the disabled and other socially unprivileged to attend the competition, Gangwon extended financial support to them to purchase more tickets and for accommodation. The province’s financial support totaled1.4 billion won, with 19,545 tickets made available to them, among others.
Gangwon officials said both the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games contributed to enhancing the self-esteem of Gangwon residents, as well as promoting the province’s status of winter sports venue.

For the Winter Olympics, 38 out of 144 total Korean athletes came from Gangwon Province. The Gangwon players won five medals: two gold and three silver. At the Paralympics, 15 of total 39 players came from Gangwon. Thirteen of 17 Korean hockey players, 13 belonged to the Gangwon. The team was the first in Korea to win a bronze medal in Winter Paralympic Games.

Ottogi is an official supporter of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and has been providing ramen to athletes and visitors. The picture shows Korean ice hockey team models holding cup rice with Olympic emblem attached.

A great variety of artistic and cultural programs have been performed during the mega sports events. Statistics show that 241 wide variety programs including “Arts on Stage”

and “Gangwon Heritage Exhibition” have been achieved, attracting a total of 640,000 people.

The Gangwon Provincial Government will take advantage of the successful hosting of the Olympic Games as a development momentum for the province. To this end, the following measures will be south for:

―Seek to create new growth engines related to the Winter Olympics.

―The province will strive to develop the sports tourism industry.
―Globalize the province’s high-level culture and arts performed during the Olympics
―Search for measures to fully utilize the Olympic stadiums

―Promote the province’s status of winter sports for sports exchanges between South Korea and North Korea and northern countries

A number of Korean enterprises served as official sponsors of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Ottogi applied the emblem of "2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics" and “2018 PyeongChang Paralympics” to all products of its Ottogi ramen. Moreover, the company held a variety of events to cheer up Korean athletes.

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