Checking out the Paralympic Winter Games Venues

By: Emily Harding, AMI Described Video Specialist

At the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games I’ve had the opportunity to visit the various venues and witness some incredible performances by Canadian athletes. Winning medals is great but being here to compete is an accomplishment in itself. The Paralympic Winter Games have five main categories of sport: Para Ice Hockey, Wheelchair Curling, Para Alpine, Para Nordic and Para Snowboard. The venues that house these competitions are split into a coastal cluster and a mountain cluster. These two clusters seem far apart (approximately 1.5 hours by bus) but I’ve learned that the venues here are closer in proximity compared to other Games. This week the weather has warmed up, especially on the coast, but I’ve even seen people in t-shirts in the mountains. Not bad for winter!

Buses are the main mode of transportation and the system is incredibly reliable. On the ride back from an event to the hotels near the central International Broadcast Centre, media organizations from around the globe use the one-hour bus ride to review results, edit photos or hammer out articles. The transportation system has been easy to navigate, and while the drivers may not speak much English, they are helpful and courteous. We’re always sure to leave them with one of the Korean phrases that we’ve mastered which sounds like “gomabseubnida” and means thank you.

The curling and hockey arenas are in the coastal cluster just a short drive from the beach. The Gangneung Hockey Centre has an octagonal design and can seat 10,000. Less than a kilometre away, the Gangneung Curling Centre is a rectangular four-storey building with a domed roof. Up to 3,000 spectators can watch games on four sheets of ice. There are many buildings in the area including press tents, food tents, a souvenir superstore and many sponsor activations like the towering Coke vending machine that takes a coin as big as a tire to dispense your beverage.

The furthest venue in the mountains is the Jeongseon Alpine Centre where a shuttle takes us part way up the steep slope to the bottom of the ski and snowboard runs. Northeast of Jeongseon and somewhat central, the Alpensia Biathlon Centre is home to cross-country as well as biathlon events. Travelling in the mountain cluster always has my ears popping as the altitude changes. Just a little further up the road, PyeongChang Olympic Stadium is home to the ceremonies with the Closing Ceremony coming up in just a few short days. In the meantime, we look forward to more fierce competition in all categories including Canada’s Para Ice Hockey team going for gold in the final.