What to watch at PyeongChang 2018

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The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games gets underway this month in South Korea, and the world’s best athletes will compete for over 100 gold medals. To better understand and appreciate the games, here’s a brief introduction to the 15 disciplines that will take center stage at the event.

1. Alpine Skiing

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Alpine skiing is where a skier slides down slopes on skis with fixed heel bindings. It is composed of two variations: the speed (velocity) events and the technical (skills) events.

2. Biathlon

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Biathlon is a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Athletes strap guns on their backs, ski for a certain distance, and then stop to shoot the designated target.

3. Ski jumping

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Ski jumping is a form of Nordic skiing where the athletes glide down a ramp at 90 km/h then jump and fly as far as they can go from the launch zone before trying to make a stable landing at the bottom of the slope.

4. Cross-Country Skiing

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Cross-country skiing is about gliding across a snow-covered field in the shortest possible time. The event can take place wherever the field is covered with snow, allowing participants to appreciate the natural beauty of the track.

5. Bobsleigh

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In bobsleigh, athletes ride a steerable sled down an ice track. The pressure generated while going around a curve is nearly four times gravity, and the bobsleigh reaches an average maximum speed of 135 km/h.

6. Curling

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Besides men’s and women’s curling, mixed doubles will be introduced to the Olympic Games for the first time this year. A broom is used to sweep the ice and smooth the path for the moving stone.

7. Figure skating

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Figure skating is a sport where athletes skate on the ice to music and are judged according to their accuracy and the difficulty of their maneuvers.

8. Freestyle skiing

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Freestyle skiing involves performing aerial acrobatics while freely gliding down a slope. Athletes display aerial skills such as back flips and twists.

9. Ice Hockey

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An ice hockey game is played between two teams consisting of six outfield players and a goaltender each. The teams try to score by shooting the puck into their opponent’s goal.

10. Luge

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A luge is a small sled on which an athlete races down a 1,000 to 1,500m course while lying on their back, face up and feet-first. The course includes left and right turns, hairpin bends, S-bends, and a labyrinth.

11. Nordic Combined

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The Nordic Combined brings cross-country and ski jumping together. Since it requires difficult technique and audacity, and takes great physical strength, it is one of the toughest ski disciplines and only has a male competition.

12. Speed Skating

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Speed skating involves two athletes wearing skates that start simultaneously and race as fast as they can around a 400m ice track. The Winter Olympics has a total of 12 speed skating events for men and women.

13. Short Track Speed Skating

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Short track speed skating is a skating competition that takes place on a 111.12m track in a 60x30m ice rink. The Winter Olympic Games includes a total of eight events for men and women.

14. Skeleton

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Skeleton is a sliding event in which an athlete is sent down a 1,200 to 1,500m ice track, and they travel so fast that even 1/100th of a second counts.

15. Snowboard

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Snowboarding is a sport for which an athlete uses a board attached to feet to speed down a slope. There are 10 individual snowboarding events at this year's Winter Olympics.