I have been fascinated with the Olympics since 2002!! (I was 9 years old at the time). Back then our middle school had video announcements, so during the 2002 Winter Olympics we would record the results of the Olympics and then this would be played throughout the school. At the time I was a young person who really did not understand the magnitude of the Olympic games.Ever since then I have watched every Olympics (religiously, at hours only dedicated fans would wake up to do so) till 2016. Around the Rio Olympics I applied to be a volunteer at the 2018 Winter Olympics and I was officially accepted as one in early 2017. These would be the first Olympics I got to see in person!
I started this trip with a quick stop in Beijing where I got to see Tienanmen Square/Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.I was there for just 1.5 days. It was a long 13 hour flight to get here, but well worth it. I was only able to see the Bird's Nest when I was driving by on the way back to the hotel.
My role during the games was in the media relations department and I was based at the Main Press Center. The MPC volunteers were based in Sokcho, which is about 70 minutes away in the northeast part of the country. Accommodation was provided free for all international and local volunteers (who did not reside in the host cities). Air transit was not covered. The first few days up in PyeongChang were the coldest I have ever been. It was brutally cold, partially the reason why I did not go to see any of the outdoor sports.
However, these games had a bit of energy to them that I was not expecting. I was able to see all of the indoor sports (minus figure skating/long track) and the enthusiasm of the crowd more or less was always there. The energy could also be felt at both Olympic Parks in Gangneung and PyeongChang. I got to experience so many things I thought I would never experience and this experience was truly unforgettable.
I was able to see the following events:
-Mixed doubles curling gold medal match (free volunteer ticket)
-Canada vs USA Women's hockey preliminary match
-Canada vs USA Women's gold medal match (free ticket, thank you to a friend in a high place)
-Canada vs Korea Men's hockey preliminary match
-Short track speed skating sessions on the 17th and 20th - thank you to a friend at the ISU for those tickets!
Overall ratings: 7/10. These games were better than Sochi in my opinion from what I witnessed, however Vancouver is still the best Winter Games imo.
After the games I flew to Tokyo for a few days, so I also got to see the next two Olympic host cities. Pictures will follow in the next post(s).
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