The world has been a bit chaotic this year, so you'd be excused if the Olympics sort of snuck up on you—but the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, are just 100 days away. The Olympics torch is on its long trek around the country, a trip that is scheduled to end Feb. 9 when the opening ceremonies begin.
Construction and preparations appear to be on schedule for the 2018 games, a nice change from the 2016 summer edition in Rio De Janeiro when plans came down right to the wire. "The PyeongChang 2018 venues are mostly complete, and some Team USA members who recently visited like what they've seen," reported NBC, which will televise the 2018 games. The network—which put together a handy preview you can read here—has made a major shift in its broadcast plans. It's set to televise the primetime events live across the entire United States, a shift from the past, when it would broadcast on a delay. But the viewership habits have changed—many folks simply streamed events online—and ratings were down significantly for the 2016 games in Rio compared with London in 2012.
"We're streaming it live, and social media has become so ubiquitous that it's hard to ignore even for people who are trying to avoid it," Jim Bell, president of production and programming for NBC Olympics, told the Los Angeles Times in March. "It just seemed like it was the right time to take this step."
Be forewarned: PyeongChang is 13 hours ahead of the East Coast, so viewing times may be wonky if viewers want to watch live. Some of the marquee sports for the winter games include figure skating, hockey and the many skiing and snowboarding events. The hockey might be a bit less interesting these games, however, as the NHL decided it would not let its players compete. The league had allowed it for five straight games, but while some players expressed interest, many clubs opposed disrupting the season for the Olympic games, the NHL said in a statement. But snowboarding will at least be a bit more exciting in PyeongChang since it will be the Olympic debut for the "big air" event, which features the most daring tricks and (duh) big air. The 2018 games also are scheduled to add big air skiing as well as a mass start speedskating event and mixed doubles curling.
There is some concern, of course, about real world events outside of the games—chiefly the escalating tensions among North Korea, its southern neighbor and the United States. The North, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, has ramped up its nuclear tests and increasingly threatened attacks (as the United States under President Donald Trump has followed suit). But organizers have said things are going smoothly thus far. While nations have expressed concerns, nobody has backed out of the games. The secretary general of the organizing committee for the games said folks shouldn't be concerned.
"There has been tension between North and South Korea for decades, but we have still successfully hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, the 2011 World Athletics Championships, three Asian Games, and three Universiades—we've learned from every event," Yeo Hyungkoo said, according to CNN.
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