5 to Watch: Dazzling Opening Ceremony Kicks Off Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang
Friday in Pyeongchang features a dazzling opening ceremony, a number of curling events and the qualifier for the men's snowboard slopestyle
By Staff Reports ••
The Winter Olympics officially start in South Korea today with the opening ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium.
Temperatures are frigid but relations between the two Koreas are thawing, at least temporarily, as the Winter Olympics officially start in South Korea with the opening ceremony at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium. Twenty-two North Korean athletes will participate and bring along 230 cheerleaders, the two Koreas will field a joint women’s ice hockey team and the athletes will march in the opening ceremony under one flag. If political tensions have eased, anxiety has broken out on another front: security guards have been hospitalized with norovirus and military personnel have had to move to handle security.
But anticipation among athletes is building in the stadiums, on the ski slopes and on the bobsled and skeleton courses. As the Games get underway, here’s what you need to watch.
Michelle Miner
Fireworks explode during the Opening Ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium on Feb. 9, 2018, in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.
Opening Ceremony Expresses Hopes for Peace
Competition has already begun in curling, luge and a few other sports in Pyeongchang, but the 2018 Winter Games got off to their spectacular start with the opening ceremony, which will be televised on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. Expect the showiness, glitter and splendor of past Olympic productions wrapped around a theme of peace.
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The ceremony reveals the pain of the divided Koreas but also their people’s hope for peace, according to organizers. The director of the opening ceremony, Yang Jung-woong, describes it as a winter fairy tale seen as a dream in which children find peace through adventure.
"Peace is the most important message, as we are the only divided country in the world," said Song Seung-whan, the general director of the opening and closing ceremonies, according to Nikkei Asian Review. "We want to let the world know about the pain of division and our desire for peace."
For the Koreas, unity was the motif. Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, an increasingly influential figure, is the first member of North Korea’s ruling family to visit the South and she sat in the VIP section. She shook hands with the South Korean president Moon Jae-in while they watched the elaborate show.
But it was a different story for U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who attended with his wife, Karen. He did not interact with Kim Yo Jong, nor did he stand when the unified Korean team entered the stadium to cheers. And accompanying Pence in South Korea is Fred Warmer, the father of Otto Warmbier, the American student who died after he was imprisoned in North Korea and returned home in a coma.
Early in the ceremony, a puppet tiger danced with children through mountains. During the Parade of Nations, countries entered the stadium to K-Pop music — the United States entering to Psy’s "Gangnam Style." Tonga’s flag bearer, Pita Taufatofua, once again appeared shirtless and oiled up, as he had in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. Later, a group of Korean musicians sang a cover version of John Lennon’s “Imagine."
Watch live on NBC at 8 p.m. ET, or on digital platforms right here.
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Kim Yu-na, South Korean Figure Skater lights the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium on Feb. 9, 2018, in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.
Opening Ceremony Stars: South Korea’s Yuna Kim, U.S.’s Erin Hamlin
The highlight of the ceremony remained a secret until the end: the final torch bearer to the light of Olympic cauldron was revealed to be Yuna Kim, a retired figure skater and South Korean superstar. Kim became the first South Korean to win a gold medal in figure skating at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Four years later in Sochi, hoping to become only the third woman to defend her gold medal, she placed second behind Russian Adelina Sotnikova.
Kim retired from competition and became a goodwill ambassador to promote the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Luger Erin Hamlin led the U.S. contingent. The 31-year-old from New York, competing in her fourth and likely last Olympics, was named the team’s flag bearer on Wednesday. She won a bronze medal in singles luge in Sochi, the first American to ever medal in the event.
Her moment also came with controversy. She won the honor over speedster Shani Davis - he claimed by a coin toss. “@TeamUSA dishonorably tossed a coin to decide its 2018 flag bearer. No problem. I can wait until 2022. #BlackHistoryMonth2018,” Davis tweeted.
Davis was not scheduled to attend the ceremony.
Cross-country skier Jesse Diggins of Vermont competes on Saturday at 2:15 a.m. ET.
New England Olympians Competing in Cross-Country Skiing, Luge
Women’s Cross-Country Skiing, featuring New Englanders Jesse Diggins and Liz Stephen, is on Saturday.
Diggins is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018), from Stratton, Vermont. Stephen is a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018) from East Monpelier, Vermont.
You can watch them live beginning at 2:15 a.m. ET on Saturday right here.
Another New Englander, Tucker West of Ridgefield, Connecticut, will compete in Men's Singles Luge on Saturday.
You can watch him live right here at 5:10 a.m. ET on Saturday.
Maine's Master of the Moguls
Bethel, Maine native Troy Murphy got off to a good start on Friday, earning a score of 80.95 points in the men's moguls, the fourth-best total in the qualifying round.
He was the only American in the top 10. Canadian Mikael Kingsbury, the heavy favorite for Olympic gold, finished first with a score of 86.07
Murphy will now compete in Monday's finals at 7 a.m. ET.
Lee Jin-man/AP
In this Sep.21, 2017 photo, South Korean athletes pose with the silver, gold and bronze medals, from left, for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics during an unveiling ceremony in Seoul, South Korea.
And the Gold Goes to…
Who will win Pyeongchang’s first gold medal? Medals will be awarded in five events on Saturday in South Korea (remember there's a 15-hour time difference, when it's Friday here, it's Saturday there), including events in biathlon, cross country, speed skating, short-track speed skating and ski jump.
But don’t be disappointed if the Star Spangled Banner isn’t playing in Pyeongchang on Saturday. Americans aren’t the favorite in any of these events.
Women’s biathlon, women’s 7.5 kilometer sprint: Watch coverage on NBC beginning at 1 p.m. ET Saturday or at 6:15 a.m. live on digital platforms right here.
Women’s cross-country skiing, 7.5 kilometer plus 7.5 kilometer skiathlon: Watch live at NBCSN at 2:15 a.m. ET Saturday or on digital platforms right here.
Women’s speed skating, 3,000 meters: Watch on digital platforms live at 6 a.m. ET Saturday right here.
Men’s short-track speed skating, 1,500 meters: Watch live on NBCSN at 5 a.m. ET Saturday or on digital platforms right here.
Men’s ski jumping, normal hill: Watch live at NBCSN at 7:35 a.m. ET Saturday or on digital platforms right here.
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PARK CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 25: Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin poses for a portrait during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games on September 25, 2017 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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Annalisa Drew is a freestyle skier who specializes in the halfpipe. Drew is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018) and is a Andover, Massachusetts native. She attended the University of Maine.
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Meghan Duggan is an ice hockey forward and a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018) Duggan captained the 2014 team. She earned silver medals in 2010 and 2014 and is a Danvers, Massachusetts. native.
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Steve Langton is competing in the bobsled event. Langton won bronze medals in the four-man bobsled and the two-man bobsled events at the 2014 Winter Games and also competed at the 2010 Olympics. He grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts. and graduated from Northeastern University, where captained the track and field team.
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Jared Goldberg is competing in alpine skiing at his second Winter Olympics (2014, 2018). Goldberg was born in Boston.
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Alex Shibutani is competing in ice dancing at his second Winter Olympics (2014, 2018). Shibutani's partner is his sister Maia. He was born in Boston and enjoys following the local sports teams.
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Eric Loughran is a freestyle skier who will compete in aerials at the Winter Games. Loughran was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. and lives in Pelham, New Hampshire.
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Bobby Butler is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. Butler is a native of Marlborough, Massachusetts. and attended the University of New Hampshire.
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Chris Bourque is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. Bourque was born in Boston, grew up in North Reading, Massachusetts and played hockey at Boston University. His father Ray is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and played for Canada in the 1998 Olympics.
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John McCarthy is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. He is a native of Boston and played hockey at Boston University where he co-captained the NCAA Championship team in the 2008-09 season.
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Ryan Donato is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. Donato was born in Boston and grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts. He played hockey at Harvard, where he was coached by his father Ted, who played 13 seasons in the NHL and Team USA at the 1992 Olympics.
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Cayla Barnes is an ice hockey defender who is competing in her first Olympics. Barnes attended New Hampton School in New Hampshire and played hockey at Boston College.
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Megan Keller is an ice hockey defender who is competing in her first Olympics. Keller played hockey at Boston College.
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Kali Flanagan is an ice hockey defender who is competing in her first Olympics. Flanagan grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts and played hockey at Boston College.
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Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, a native of Colorado, attended Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke, Vermont. She is competing in her second Olympics after taking home the gold for slalom in Sochi 2014.
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Nick Alexander is a ski jumper and a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Alexander is a native of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
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Sean Doherty is competing in biathlon at his second Winter Games (2014, 2018). Doherty is a native of Center Conway, New Hampshire.
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Will Rhoads is a ski jumper competing in his first Olympics. Rhoads was born in Concord, New Hampshire.
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Mac Bohonnon is a freestyle skier competing in aerials and is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Bohonnon was born in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Madison.
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Lindsey Jacobellis is a snowboarder specializing in snowboardcross and a four-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Jacobellis won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics. She was born in Danbury, Connecticut and went to Stratton Mountain School in Vermont.
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Tucker West is competing in luge and is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). West is a native of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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Sophie Caldwell is a cross-country skier and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Caldwell is from Peru, Vermont and was a five-time All-America and graduate from Dartmouth in 2012. Her cousin, New Hampshire native Patrick Caldwell, is making his first Olympic appearance.
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Cross-country skier Patrick Caldwell is a native of Lebanon, New Hampshire, who attended Stratton Mountain School in Vermont and Dartmouth College. He is competing in his first Olympics. His cousin, Vermont native and two-time Olympian Sophie Caldwell, is a cross-country teammate in Pyeongchang.
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Kelly Clark is a snowboarder specializing in the halfpipe. This Olympics will mark Clark's fifth appearance at the Winter Games (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Clark won gold in 2002 and bronze in 2010 and 2014. She was born in Newport, Rhode Island and graduated from Mount Snow Academy in Vermont.
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Susan Dunklee is competing in biathlon and is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Dunklee was born in Newport, Vermont and lives in Barton. She garaduated from Dartmouth in 2008 with a degree in ecology. Her father, Stan Dunklee, competed in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics as a cross country skier.
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Emily Dreissigacker is competing in biathlon at the 2018 Olympics. Dreissigacker makes her home in Morrisville, Vermont.
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Nolan Kasper is an alpine skier and three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Kasper makes his home in Warren, Vermont and graduated from Dartmouth with an economics degree in 2017.
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Devin Logan is a freestyle skier and will be competing in halfpipe and slopestyle at the Winter Games. Logan is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018) who won a silver medal in slopestyle at the 2014 Olympics. She makes her home in West Dover, Vermont and went to Mount Snow Academy.
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Andy Newell is a cross-country skier and four-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Newell's hometown is Shaftsbury, Vermont and he attended high school at Stratton Mountain School.
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Ida Sargent is a cross-country skier and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Sargent makes her home in Craftsbury, Vermont and graduated from Dartmouth in 2011 with degrees in biology and psychology.
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Liz Stephen is a cross-country skier and three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Stephen is a native of East Montpelier, Vermont and attended Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke.
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Simi Hamilton is a cross-country skier and three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Hamilton was a three-time All-American at Middlebury College in Vermont.
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Hilary Knight is an ice hockey forward and a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Knight won silver at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. She attended high school at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut and plays professional hockey with the Boston Pride.
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Jessie Diggins is a cross-country skier and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Diggins is a resident of Stratton, Vermont.
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Alex Gamelin is an ice dancer competing for South Korea at the Winter Games. Gamelin was born in Boston and previously competed internationally for the USA with his twin sister before getting dual citizenship. His current partner is Yura Min from California, who also has dual citizenship.
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Lowell Bailey is competing in biathlon and is a four-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Bailey graduated from the University of Vermont in 2005.
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Emerson Smith is a freestyle skier competing in moguls at the Winter Games. Smith's hometown is Dover, Vermont.
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Alice Merryweather is an alpine skier competing in her first Olympics. Merryweather is from Hingham, Massachusetts and attended Stratton Mountain School and Dartmouth College.
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Jonathan Cheever is competing in snowboardcross at his first Olympics. Cheever is a native of Saugus, Massachusetts and attended Malden Catholic High School and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He works during the summer as a licensed plumber.
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Troy Murphy is a freestyle skier competing in his first Olympics. Murphy is a native of Bethel, Maine.
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Zachary Donohue (pictured with Madison Hubbell) is a figure skater specializing in ice dance. He is competing in his first Olympics. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and is a native of Madison.
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Mark Arcobello is an ice hockey forward and first-time Olympian from Milford, Connecticut. He attended Yale University.
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Julia Marino is a snowboarder specializing in slopestyle and big air. A native of Westport, Connecticut, she is competing in her first Olympics.
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Kiley McKinnon is a freestyle skier who specializes in aerials. The native of Madison, Connecticut, born in New Haven, is competing in her first Olympics.
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Luger Emily Sweeney is a Suffield, Connecticut, native who was born in Portland, Maine. She is competing in her first Olympics.
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Clare Egan is a biathlete from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She is competing in her first Olympics.
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Second-time Olympian Russell Currier first competed at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. He is a native of Stockholm, Maine.
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Kacey Bellamy, an ice hockey defenseman from Westfield, Massachusetts, who attended the University of New Hampshire and plays for the Boston Pride, is competing in her third Olympics. She previously won silver medals with Team USA in Vancouver and Sochi.
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Former NHL defenseman Noah Welch, a native of Boston's Brighton neighborhood who attended Harvard University, is competing in his first Olympics for USA Hockey.
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Snowboarder Mike Trapp, who competes in parallel slalom and giant parallel slalom, is a native of Barnstable, Massachusetts, partaking in his first Olympics.
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Broc Little, an ice hockey forward, is a first-time Olympian for Team USA. He attended Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, as well as Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Caroline Claire, a freestyle skier who specializes in slopestyle, is competing in her first Olympics. She is a native of Manchester, Vermont, who attended Stratton Mountain School in that state.
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Alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle, a native of Starksboro, Vermont, is competing in his first Olympics, but he comes from a long line of Olympic skiers. His mother earned a gold medal in 1972, and his family operates Cochran's Ski Club.
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Caitlin Patterson, a cross-country skier from Craftsbury, Vermont, is competing in her first Olympics. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2012, two years before her brother, Scott Patterson, who is also a cross-country skier making his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang.
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Ice hockey Amanda Pelkey (left) was born and raised in Montpelier, Vermont. She attended the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, as well as the University of Vermont, and plays for the Boston Pride. She is competing in her first Olympics.
