Message of peace: olympic fire is burning
Even before the lighting of the olympic fire, the strong gestures of the korean reward gave the winter olympic games of pyeongchang their first rough moments.
In the olympic stadium’s VIP tribune on friday, sud korean president moon jae in and kim yo jong, sister of north korea’s kim jong un, applauded the joint entry of athletes from both countries at the opening ceremony, which was held under the motto "peace in motion.
Moon’s subsequent handshake with kim yo jong nourished tentative hopes of a cautious rapprochement between the two countries after last year’s escalation of the conflict over north korea’s nuclear program. The U.S. Delegation, led by vice president mike pence, reacted in a subdued manner. A joint dinner of high-ranking political guests, including kim yo jong, given by moon, pence withdrew after a few minutes.
Seated at the tribune for the opening ceremony just a few meters from the north korean, the vice president appeared distant and only applauded his own team as they marched in. In an interview with nbc, pence reiterated the u.S. Position of resorting to military options, if necessary, to resolve the north korean conflict. "President trump and our allies in the region have agreed to postpone joint military manovers until after the olympics," the republican said. But it was clear that the U.S. And its allies were prepared to take "any necessary measures" to defend themselves and their partners.
Ioc chief thomas bach saw the joint entry of the korean teams as an example "of the unique power of sport to unite people". "All the athletes around me, all the spectators here in the stadium and all the olympic fans watching around the world … We are all touched by this wonderful gesture," said the president of the international olympic committee (IOC) in his opening remarks. "We all join them and support them in their message of peace."The joint marching-in has a historical example in germany. In 1960 and 1964, athletes from the GDR and the federal republic of germany competed together in olympic stadiums a total of four times.
With temperatures hovering around minus two degrees and an unpleasant wind, the opening ceremony, despite its colorful spectacle of light and music, was initially difficult to ignite in the audience. When the south and north korean athletes entered the stadium in front of 35,000 spectators and an audience of billions of viewers worldwide, the atmosphere changed.
22 athletes sent by north korea to the games in the south. The IOC had made it possible for the north koreans to start at short notice. The north korean ice hockey player hwang chung gum and the south korean bobsledder won yun jong led the team in the march and waved the unification flag together.
A little later, ice hockey players park jongah (south korea) and jong su hyon (north korea), who are competing in a joint team at the winter games, passed the olympic torch to south korean figure skating icon kim yuna. The 2010 olympic champion deflagrated at 22.09 o’clock local time the olympic fire.
27 minutes earlier, sud korean president moon had made a speech in front of u.S. Vice president pence, japan’s prime minister shinz, and others? Abe, UN secretary-general antonio guterres and german president frank-walter steinmeier opened. With the traditional formula "i declare the XXIII. He gave the starting signal for the third world festival of winter sports in asia after 1972 in sapporo and 1998 in nagano.
More than 2900 athletes from 92 countries will take part in the spectacle on ice and snow in gangwon province, which borders north korea. Medals will be awarded in 102 competitions over the next 16 days. Sud korea hosts olympic games for the second time after the 1988 summer games in the capital seoul.
The emotional gestures of peace at least for a short time masked the issue of doping, but it was still visible at the ceremony. Due to the suspension of their national olympic committee, the ioc-approved russian athletes entered the stadium under the name "olympic athletes from russia" in unfamiliar gray-blue team clothing and wearing white scarves. The german team – led by nordic combined skier eric frenzel as flag bearer – entered the stadium as ninth team.
Before the sport captivates the crowds, the opening show takes spectators on a fantasy journey through korean culture and history. After the ceremony, which lasted about two and a quarter hours in the square stadium used only for the opening and closing ceremonies and which will be dismantled after the paralympic games, the olympic arenas will be used by the 25. February the athletes.
