Pyeongchang Winter Olympics To Promote Warmer Ties Between South Korea And Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 (Bernama) -- The 23rd Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea in February 2018. It is expected to be the largest Winter Olympics in history involving approximately 3,000 athletes from all over the world contending for over 100 gold medals. As the Republic of Korea's ambassador to Malaysia, I’m delighted as next month's event will see Malaysia participating in the Winter Olympics for the first time ever. Hence, PyeongChang 2018 is set to be all the more meaningful for our two countries. The Korean government is currently making every effort to ensure the successful staging of the Games. A state-of-the-art Olympics will be presented by utilising Korea’s advanced information and communication technology that includes offering the world’s fastest 5G. In addition, to enhance accessibility for athletes and visitors, a high-speed railway was launched last month, reducing the travel time from Seoul to PyeongChang from three hours to just over an hour and cutting a three-and-a-half-hour trip from Incheon International Airport to 98 minutes. The 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and Paralympic Games can be symbolised in three keywords. The first keyword is “Dream” – the PyeongChang Olympics is where people’s dreams are pursued and realised. Winter sports, particularly, are far more developed in countries with longer winter seasons, hence a small number of countries in the northern hemisphere have long been dominating the Winter Olympics. Korea has been participating in the Winter Olympics since the 1948 games in St Moritz, Switzerland, but did not win any medal until the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Korea won four medals, including two golds, at the 1992 Albertville Olympics. At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Korea was ranked fifth with six gold medals in short track, speed skating and figure skating – this is what the Koreans have long yearned for and dreamt about. Against this backdrop, in 2004 the Korean government introduced the “Dream Programme” to provide youths who have limited access to winter weather to experience winter sports. Over 1,900 people from 83 countries have participated in this programme so far, including 55 young Malaysian athletes. Having an alpine skier and figure skater representing Malaysia at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is almost a miracle for a country that experiences summer all year round. I believe this is an accomplishment for Malaysia and PyeongChang 2018 will be the stage for Malaysians to realise their dreams. Malaysian athlete Julian Yee made history recently by becoming the first-ever Malaysian figure skater to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics. He was one of the participants of the Dream Programme. We will be able to witness this Malaysian athlete realising his dream at PyeongChang 2018. As Malaysian athletes had won gold medals in the figure and speed skating events at the 29th SEA Games last year, Malaysia's Winter Olympics debut at PyeongChang 2018 could be a watershed in the nation's sports history. “New Horizons” make up the second keyword symbolising the PyeongChang Olympics as the games will open up new horizons in South Korea, as well as Asia. PyeongChang 2018 will make South Korea the fifth country that has hosted four major sporting events, including the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2011 Daegu IAFF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Championships in Athletics, within the shortest period of time. The successful hosting of PyeongChang 2018 will open new horizons in Korea in various fields, including technology, culture, environment and economy. Thirty years after the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, which served as an opportunity for South Korea to introduce the Land of the Morning Calm to the world, PyeongChang 2018 will provide an opportunity to show the world the achievements Korea had made in the last three decades. South Korea has become the 11th largest economy in the world and shown its blossoming of democracy to the world. PyeongChang 2018 will kick off a series of Olympic Games to be held in Asia in the coming years – the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. We aim to shift the stage of international sporting events to Asia by presenting South Korea and Asia as the hub of winter sports. Peace beyond Safety” is the third keyword that describes PyeongChang 2018. South Korea has accumulated a great deal of experience and possesses the capacity when it comes to hosting international mega-events. In the midst of various security concerns, including North Korea’s continuous provocation, South Korea has successfully hosted many large-scale events, such as the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 G20 Summit. President Moon Jae-in has also expressed his strong will to ensure a peaceful Olympics, which will contribute not only to peace within the Korean Peninsula but also the world. The Korean government will strive to make PyeongChang 2018 the perfect Olympics ever in all aspects, including safety and operations. We have made thorough preparations to ensure the smooth and safe operations of the Winter Olympics by completing 25 test events, participated by more than 5,000 athletes from 45 countries. I strongly believe that PyeongChang 2018 will serve as an opportunity for both Korea and Malaysia to upgrade their existing amiable bilateral relations. I want to assure you that this winter will be the perfect chance for Malaysians to visit Korea as various events, held in conjunction with the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, are in store for visitors and tourists. I sincerely hope that Malaysians will visit the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics to cheer the Malaysian athletes and experience the friendship of Korea. -- BERNAMA