https://www.scmp.com/rss/316028/feed The 2018 Winter Olympics, the 23rd winter Olympiad, will be held Pyeongchang, South Korea, between 9-25 February 2018. It will be the first Winter Olympics held in South Korea and the first Asian city outside of Japan to host the games. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com South Korea may be geographically small compared to its neighbours China and Japan, with a significantly shorter history of competitive sports than, say, Europe or North America, but it’s a powerhouse in certain Olympic events. The country is known for being unstoppable in archery, a force to be reckoned with in fencing and the originator of the internationally popular martial art taekwondo. Then there’s short-track speedskating, for which South Korea has been the top medal-winner since the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3168543/south-koreas-olympic-winners-fury-and-fall-grace-top-speed-skaters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3168543/south-koreas-olympic-winners-fury-and-fall-grace-top-speed-skaters?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Feb 2022 00:00:23 +0000 Hong Kong Olympic short-track speed skater Sidney Chu shared his delight and relief after learning of the government’s plans to build its first international standard ice skating rink. Following Team Hong Kong’s last competition at the Beijing Games, chef de mission Karl Kwok Chi-leung revealed plans for a rink in Pak Shek, Tai Po while also boasting the Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee’s “communication with relevant ice and snow project leaders” in China. Though there is no... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3167455/winter-olympics-hong-kongs-plans-top-class-ice-rink-gift-and-leap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3167455/winter-olympics-hong-kongs-plans-top-class-ice-rink-gift-and-leap?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:15:23 +0000 Chinese national cross-country team manager Zhang Bei hopes their best-ever Winter Games outing will have a “profound impact” on the country’s future in the sport. Though they are still far from podium contention, China’s 10th-placed finish in the women’s 4x5km relay is considered a serious achievement in the discipline which, like most, are dominated by Norway, Sweden and Russia. China are fielding a record 11 athletes across cross-country events at the Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3167133/winter-olympics-chinas-cross-country-progress-ignite-new-generation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3167133/winter-olympics-chinas-cross-country-progress-ignite-new-generation?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Feb 2022 10:24:52 +0000 Team China will be itching for silverware at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics after collecting a single gold medal at the previous Pyeongchang 2018 Games – its lowest in the past five cycles. With the mainland’s National Bureau of Statistics this month announcing it realised its overarching goal of “getting 300 million people into winter sports” ahead of its home Games, there is something of a point to prove. The bureau reported nearly 350 million Chinese took part in ice or snow sports since... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3164913/winter-olympics-chinas-top-10-hopes-beijing-include-teen-stars-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3164913/winter-olympics-chinas-top-10-hopes-beijing-include-teen-stars-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 08:15:23 +0000 The flag-bearer who represented Tonga at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2018 Winter Olympics, and 2020 Summer Olympics has raised more than US$340,000 in relief funds for the country to recover from a recent tsunami and volcanic eruption. The small island nation of Tonga lost most of its communication with the rest of the world on January 15, 2022, after a devastating tsunami hit its islands following an enormous volcanic eruption. Olympian Pita Taufatofua, who rose to international prominence for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164009/tsunami-hit-tongas-oiled-olympic-flag-bearer-pita-taufatofua?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164009/tsunami-hit-tongas-oiled-olympic-flag-bearer-pita-taufatofua?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 22:00:16 +0000 Controversial Olympic champion speed skater Lim Hyo-jun will not be able to compete for China at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, according to a media report in his native South Korea. Lim won 1,500-metres gold for South Korea at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, before choosing to naturalise as Chinese. However, South Korean broadcaster SBS reported his hopes of representing the hosts next February are over. The Seoul-based media outlet cited an official at the Korea Sports Council saying there had... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3152445/beijing-2022-lim-hyo-jun-will-not-skate-china-winter-olympics-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3152445/beijing-2022-lim-hyo-jun-will-not-skate-china-winter-olympics-south?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Oct 2021 05:35:40 +0000 Two-time Olympic gold medallist Yuzuru Hanyu boasts an unparalleled figure skating career, perhaps most prominent for being the only men’s singles skater to complete the “Super Slam” – winning all major competitions at both junior and senior level. At just 26, Japan’s prince of the rink is widely considered one of the greatest ever to do it: he has broken world figure skating records a record 19 times; he was the first male to score more than 100 points in the short programme, more than 200 in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3152305/yuzuru-hanyu-biography-family-two-time-olympic-champion-winnie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3152305/yuzuru-hanyu-biography-family-two-time-olympic-champion-winnie?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Oct 2021 04:57:36 +0000 China’s embassy in Japan and government spokesperson Hua Chunying have promised that there will be support for Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu at next year’s Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, after the skater’s fans called on Chinese fans to support him as foreign fans are banned. Following the announcement on Thursday that the Beijing Games will not be open to overseas fans, Japanese social media users expressed their disappointment at not being able to travel and called on fans in China to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3150993/beijing-2022-japanese-yuzuru-hanyu-fans-ask-chinese-support-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3150993/beijing-2022-japanese-yuzuru-hanyu-fans-ask-chinese-support-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Oct 2021 09:20:21 +0000 Long before American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos made history with their Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics, another poignant image of silent protest was etched into the conscience of Koreans – and largely forgotten everywhere else. At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Korean Sohn Kee-chung stood with his head hung, hiding the flag on his chest with a laurel plant as Japan’s national anthem filled the stadium to honour his marathon victory. The moment filled him with “unbearable... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141119/japans-forgotten-olympic-gold-medallist-korean-runner-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141119/japans-forgotten-olympic-gold-medallist-korean-runner-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jul 2021 21:00:15 +0000 “Feel the Rhythm! Feel the Rhyme! Get on up, it’s bobsled time! Cool Runnings!” The 1993 Disney film of the same name tells the story of Jamaica’s 1988 Winter Olympic bobsleigh team capturing the watching world’s hearts. It is the full extent of the knowledge of many people when it comes to tropical and warmer weather nations at the Winter Games. Though it might come as a shock, there are plenty more examples of unexpected competitors proving that not growing up surrounded by snow and ice is no... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3120476/cool-runnings-history-tropical-and-warm-weather-nations-winter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3120476/cool-runnings-history-tropical-and-warm-weather-nations-winter?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Feb 2021 00:00:17 +0000 The former coach of South Korea’s double Olympic speed skating gold medallist has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison in a notorious case that exposed the seedy side of the country’s sports arena that often prioritises performance at the expense of human rights. Cho Jae-beom, 39, was jailed for 10 and a half years on Thursday for sexually assaulting and physically abusing Shim Suk-hee, 23, for more than three years. The abuse started when she was just 17 and continued until a few... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3118784/south-korea-jails-former-olympic-coach-sexual-assault?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3118784/south-korea-jails-former-olympic-coach-sexual-assault?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:00:35 +0000 Two-time world snowboard champion and Winter Olympian Alex Pullin drowned on Wednesday while spearfishing on Australia’s Gold Coast. A police spokesperson said a 32-year-old man, later identified as Pullin, was unresponsive when taken from the water and died despite receiving CPR from lifeguards and emergency treatment from paramedics. The accident happened at Palm Beach around 10.40 am local time. Pullin had been diving on an artificial reef when he was found by a snorkeller. “Another diver... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3092298/snowboard-world-champion-alex-chumpy-pullin-drowns-diving-mishap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3092298/snowboard-world-champion-alex-chumpy-pullin-drowns-diving-mishap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jul 2020 06:52:24 +0000 Hungary’s Olympic short-track skating champion Csaba Burjan has been banned for a year by his national federation after a social media post upsetting China in December. Wednesday’s statement from the Hungarian National Skating Federation's (MOKSZ) Ethics and Disciplinary Committee announced the decision on its website. “The board found that the competitor had committed a disciplinary and ethical violation by his post published on social media on December 3,” said the statement. Burjan, who won... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3049331/racist-china-post-sees-hungary-ban-speed-skater-12-months?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3049331/racist-china-post-sees-hungary-ban-speed-skater-12-months?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2020 08:27:04 +0000 An advocacy group has called for a criminal investigation into one of the most prominent figures in South Korean speedskating, following allegations that he covered up a series of sexual assaults. Jun Myeong-kyu, who resigned as vice-president of the Korea Skating Union last year over corruption allegations, now stands accused of trying to stop victims like Olympic athlete Shim Suk-hee from speaking out. Representatives of Solidarity for Young Skaters, the advocacy group, held a press conference... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2182991/calls-criminal-investigation-sexual-abuse-cover-claims-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2182991/calls-criminal-investigation-sexual-abuse-cover-claims-against?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jan 2019 09:17:02 +0000 A prominent figure in South Korea’s speedskating community is in a tight spot for allegedly attempting to prevent other victims from coming forward after Olympic athlete Shim Suk-hee accused her former coach of physical abuse last year. Jun Myeong-kyu, who resigned as vice-president of the Korea Skating Union last year over corruption allegations, allegedly tried to stop other victims from joining Shim in lodging complaints against her former coach Cho Jae-beom. Cho is also one of Jun’s close... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2182548/south-koreas-speedskating-patriarch-tried-stop-sex-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2182548/south-koreas-speedskating-patriarch-tried-stop-sex-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jan 2019 10:10:37 +0000 South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called for a thorough investigation into a flurry of sexual assault allegations against senior members of the country’s tight-knit sporting community. “The recent spate of statements about violence and sexual assaults … reveal the seedy side of South Korea as a sports powerhouse. We must not lose this chance to reform,” he said at a meeting with his aides on Monday. The allegations began surfacing last week, when 21-year-old double Olympic gold medallist... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2182025/rape-violence-and-culture-fear-dark-side-south-koreas-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2182025/rape-violence-and-culture-fear-dark-side-south-koreas-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:50:02 +0000 South Korean Olympic athlete Shim Suk-hee has accused her former coach, who is already serving a 10-month jail sentence for assault, of raping her repeatedly since she was a teenager. Cho Jae-beom was convicted in September of beating and abusing Shim and three other skaters over a seven-year period. In her latest complaint filed last month, the 21-year-old Shim accused Cho of multiple rapes and sexual assaults beginning in 2014 when she was a high school student, said her lawyer Lim... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2181259/south-korean-olympic-skater-shim-suk-hee-accuses-physically?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2181259/south-korean-olympic-skater-shim-suk-hee-accuses-physically?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jan 2019 15:45:15 +0000 The last 12 months have been eventful for sport in China but when are they not? Here is the good, the bad and the ugly of 2018. Pigeon plotters Two pigeon fanciers hit the headlines this year for their nefarious scheme to defraud race organisers out of 1 million yuan (US$147,000). Their plan was simple, hiding the pigeons in milk cartons and taking the high speed train from Henan to the finish line in Shanghai. Feathers were ruffled when the pigeons came first but at speeds faster than their... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2179638/year-review-sun-yang-marathon-cheats-and-lin-dan-lead-chinas-sporting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2179638/year-review-sun-yang-marathon-cheats-and-lin-dan-lead-chinas-sporting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Dec 2018 07:03:21 +0000 What links the ‘hidden’ sex and sleaze on Singapore’s Orchard Road to Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal, copycat retailers and a debate over the ethnicity of a Filipino Miss Universe? Answer: they’re all among the most popular stories that featured in This Week in Asia in 2018. With the holiday period upon us, the This Week in Asia editors thought it was high time to reflect on the stories that you, the reader, found most interesting during what has been an action-packed year. And what we found was a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2179146/year-asia-our-most-popular-stories-2018?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2179146/year-asia-our-most-popular-stories-2018?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Dec 2018 08:01:39 +0000 China have been dominating the Asian Games ever since they topped the medals table for the first time in Delhi in 1982. The 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang marks the 10th time in a row that the Chinese have finished number one. China’s sports machine is simply too big to allow other countries to compete when it comes to the region’s biggest multi-sport event. Therefore, a measure of the mainland’s success has less to do with its medal count as opposed to how their athletes compare to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2162406/asian-games-china-top-asiad-again-japan-gaining-swimming-and-other-key?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2162406/asian-games-china-top-asiad-again-japan-gaining-swimming-and-other-key?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Sep 2018 07:33:24 +0000 Rising figure skating star Christy Leung Yi can’t wait to turn 16 so that she can compete at senior level and prove to the world just how good she can be. The 15-year-old Hong Kong skater missed this year’s Pyeongchang Games because she didn’t fulfil the required age requirement but next year could be the start of something big for the promising junior, who is already turning heads with her sensational routines. On Wednesday, Leung, who finished 11th in this year’s World Junior Championships... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2143346/i-can-win-olympic-medal-says-confident-christy-leung-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2143346/i-can-win-olympic-medal-says-confident-christy-leung-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Apr 2018 13:30:45 +0000 Samsung has denied a media report it launched illicit lobbying to help bring the 2018 Winter Olympics to Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Seoul-based SBS television network reported last week Samsung tried to use as a lobbyist Papa Massata Diack, the son of Lamine Diack, a disgraced former head of the International Association of Athletics Federations. The SBS said the son requested Samsung to sign a US$9.5 million sponsorship for the IAAF’s Diamond League circuit in return for possibly lobbying... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2141869/samsung-denies-lobbying-2018-pyeongchang-winter-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2141869/samsung-denies-lobbying-2018-pyeongchang-winter-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Apr 2018 04:43:33 +0000 A major U-turn by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who this week labelled a free-trade agreement between Seoul and Washington as “unfair”, has only deepened concerns over his economic policy. On Thursday, the future of the Korean economy began to look darker still when US President Donald Trump said he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imported steel. While this is less than the 53 per cent Korea was initially facing, it still spells trouble for US-Korea trade relations. As a result,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2134961/moon-struck-gold-pyeongchang-olympics-can-he-medal-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2134961/moon-struck-gold-pyeongchang-olympics-can-he-medal-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Mar 2018 03:30:45 +0000 Rarely has the expression “so near but so far” been so appropriate as when referring to the presence of highly placed American and North Korean representatives at the Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in South Korea. US Vice-President Mike Pence and Kim Yo-jong, younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, were seated feet apart at the opening ceremony but did not so much as look at one another, let alone hold a meeting that might have broken the ice and reduced tension... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135349/true-focus-all-parties-must-be-pyongyang-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135349/true-focus-all-parties-must-be-pyongyang-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Mar 2018 17:42:36 +0000 South Korea will send a special envoy to North Korea in the latest in the Olympic-driven detente between the two nations, South South Korean President Moon Jae-in told US President Donald Trump on Thursday. An intense rapprochement saw the two Koreas march into the Games opening ceremony together behind a unification flag, and Moon shared a historic handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-ong. “In response to the visit by North Korea’s special envoy Kim Yo-jong … Moon... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2135343/south-korea-sending-special-envoy-north-korea-president-moon-jae-tells?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2135343/south-korea-sending-special-envoy-north-korea-president-moon-jae-tells?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Mar 2018 15:30:45 +0000 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Wednesday that it had reinstated Russia after the remaining tests of the country’s athletes at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were all returned negative. Russians competed as neutrals at the games after the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in December, saying it had found evidence of an “unprecedented systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system. On Sunday, the IOC announced that Russia, which has repeatedly denied... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2135167/russia-has-been-reinstated-olympic-games-after-doping-ban-ioc-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2135167/russia-has-been-reinstated-olympic-games-after-doping-ban-ioc-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2018 16:12:12 +0000 Sports and politics have intermingled as far back as the earliest Olympic Games in ancient Greece and most ostentatiously in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, with Germany’s new-found status as a European power on full display. More recently, think ping-pong diplomacy in the early 1970s, which led to the Sino-American diplomatic breakthrough, and South Korea reaching out on the eve of the Pyeongchang Olympics to North Korean soccer officials during an obscure tournament in south China, which resulted... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135102/kim-jong-un-cant-just-wish-away-us-role-korean-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135102/kim-jong-un-cant-just-wish-away-us-role-korean-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2018 09:45:00 +0000 After 16 days of sliding, skating, jumping and sweeping, the PyeongChang Olympics closed with one last party. The Winter Olympics finished on Sunday night with a bash at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, a final hurrah for the venue before it is demolished. K-pop stars EXO, CL at Winter Olympics closing ceremony Among the participants were Olympic athletes from Russia, who lost an appeal earlier in the day to march under the Russian flag following a massive doping scandal. The show also... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2134730/cl-and-exo-headline-party-pyeongchang-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion-beauty/article/2134730/cl-and-exo-headline-party-pyeongchang-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:31:43 +0000 The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) stopped short on Sunday of endorsing the International Olympic Committee’s decision to lift Russia’s suspension if no new positive drug tests come to light from the Pyeonchang Winter Olympics. In a statement issued on Sunday night, Wada said it “acknowledges” the IOC’s latest move but pointed out that Russia is still not adhering to the World Anti-Doping Code. “It should be clarified that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) remains non-compliant with the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134719/wada-says-russia-still-not-compliant-anti-doping-ioc-prepares-lift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134719/wada-says-russia-still-not-compliant-anti-doping-ioc-prepares-lift?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 06:37:03 +0000 South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged the United States to “lower the threshold for talks” with North Korea on Monday as his aides held rare talks with a Pyongyang general on ways to defuse tensions. Moon has sought to use the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday to open dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang in the hopes of easing a nuclear stand-off that has sparked global security fears. Pyongyang mounted a charm offensive during the Games, sending athletes, cheerleaders and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2134670/will-trump-accept-north-korea-talks-offer-white-house-says-well-see-if?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2134670/will-trump-accept-north-korea-talks-offer-white-house-says-well-see-if?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 01:18:48 +0000 With a two-hour spectacle of drones and K-Pop on Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in celebrated the end of a Winter Olympic Games that fostered a fragile peace with North Korea. Now, he’s got to make it last. Even before North Korean athletes started returning across their fortified border, Moon was juggling two big questions: whether to press US President Donald Trump to tone down or postpone upcoming military drills that risk to reigniting tensions, and whether to accept Kim Jong-un’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2134663/k-pop-fades-south-koreas-president-moon-faces-two-huge-choices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2134663/k-pop-fades-south-koreas-president-moon-faces-two-huge-choices?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 00:32:45 +0000 Famous for its mountains, fjords and rugged beards, Norway gave the world the Vikings and A-ha – and for good measure it even invented the cheese slicer. But when it comes to sport, the Norwegians create headlines roughly once every four years, when the nation of 5.2 million makes one hell of a racket at the Winter Olympics. Norway finished top of the Pyeongchang medals table on Sunday, winning a record 39 medals — 14 of them gold. “It’s amazing to win this many medals and something to be proud... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134644/no-jerks-secret-norways-olympic-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134644/no-jerks-secret-norways-olympic-success?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2018 12:58:55 +0000 North Korea on Sunday accused the United States of trying to undermine an improvement in inter-Korean relations, while South Korean protesters tried to block senior North Korean officials on their way to the Pyeongchang Winter Games closing ceremony. “The two Koreas have cooperated together and the Olympics was held successfully,” the North’s KCNA news agency said, citing North Korea’s foreign ministry. “But the US brought the threat of war to the Korean peninsula with large-scale new sanctions... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2134635/north-korea-slams-latest-us-sanctions-says-shipping-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2134635/north-korea-slams-latest-us-sanctions-says-shipping-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2018 09:59:59 +0000 A former seaside villa for North Korea’s ruling Kim family. A captured North Korean spy submarine. A frontline observatory that allows curious visitors to peer at parts of a picturesque North Korean mountain across the heavily mined demilitarised zone (DMZ). These are bitter reminders of the seven decades of the Korean division as they play out in South Korea’s Gangwon province, where three towns have been hosting the Winter Olympics. As the games, which drew to a close on Sunday, turned into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2134479/around-winter-olympics-sites-reminders-koreas-great-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2134479/around-winter-olympics-sites-reminders-koreas-great-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2018 09:02:52 +0000 It began with politics. It ends with ... politics. In between, humanity’s most extraordinary feats of winter athletic prowess unfolded, revealing the expected triumphs but also stars most unlikely – from favourites like Mikaela Shiffrin, Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn to sudden surprise legends like Czech skier-snowboarder Ester Ledecka and the medal-grabbing “Garlic Girls,” South Korea’s hometown curling favourites. Pyeongchang closes its chapter of the 122-year-old modern Olympic storybook on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134627/farewell-korea-first-three-straight-asian-olympics-ends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134627/farewell-korea-first-three-straight-asian-olympics-ends?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2018 08:34:39 +0000 Russian military spies hacked several hundred computers used at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, according to anonymous US intelligence officials. They tried to make it appear as though the intrusion was by North Korea, the officials claim. Officials in Pyeongchang acknowledged that the Games were hit by a cyberattack during the February 9 opening ceremony but refused to say whether Russia was responsible. That evening there were disruptions to the internet, broadcast systems and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2134625/russia-hacked-olympics-and-tried-make-it-look-north-korea-did-it-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2134625/russia-hacked-olympics-and-tried-make-it-look-north-korea-did-it-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2018 08:21:43 +0000 Tearful South Korea fell agonisingly short in their fairytale bid for women’s curling gold on Sunday at their home Winter Olympics as they were beaten 8-3 in the final by ruthless Sweden. Skip Anna Hasselborg’s Swedes saw off the so-called “Garlic Girls” in Pyeongchang for the Scandinavians’ third Olympic title, after Vancouver in 2010 and Turin four years earlier. For the Koreans this was the end of a remarkable journey from the eighth-ranked team in the world to Olympic silver medallists. Skip... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134612/south-koreas-tearful-garlic-girls-forced-settle-winter-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134612/south-koreas-tearful-garlic-girls-forced-settle-winter-olympic?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2018 06:03:31 +0000 After two weeks of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the only significant complaint about these Games has been that they are cold – the coldest ever. Well remember this chill, folks. When the torch is lit 20 years from now in Nairobi, Kenya, for the 28th Winter Olympics – a testament to our zany and wildly unpredictable weather patterns – you’re going to miss Pyeongchang. Like Albertville and Lillehammer before it, the world knew virtually nothing about Pyeongchang. It’s not even a town, it’s a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134565/coldest-winter-games-might-be-coolest-south-korea-grabs-gold-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134565/coldest-winter-games-might-be-coolest-south-korea-grabs-gold-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 08:37:25 +0000 At least Jeff Pain knows what is expected of him. Hired by China for his coaching expertise in the winter sport of skeleton, the Olympic silver medallist for Canada in 2006 has four more years to shape his rookie team of Chinese athletes into ice-sliding champions at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. “We’ve been told it’s gold or nothing,” Pain says. “The other medals are irrelevant.” Here’s the rub: Wanting to win in dangerous, technically complex sports on snow and ice and actually being... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2134547/gold-or-nothing-chinas-skeleton-coach-says-foreign-coaches-expected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2134547/gold-or-nothing-chinas-skeleton-coach-says-foreign-coaches-expected?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 04:52:30 +0000 The Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics marks the first time the Winter Olympics has been held in Asia since the 1998 games in Japan. It features 102 events across 15 sports, with almost 3,000 athletes from 92 countries competing for a medal. For those in Hong Kong with dreams of becoming a Winter Olympian – perhaps even in time for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing – we’ve scoped out the best local places to test your career potential. For those with less lofty ambitions, we’ve also included how... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2134419/winter-sports-hong-kong-curling-ice-hockey-skiing-could-you?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2134419/winter-sports-hong-kong-curling-ice-hockey-skiing-could-you?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 04:15:00 +0000 Members of the North Korean cheerleading squad that charmed Winter Olympics viewers are being forced into sex slavery by the country’s top politicians, a defector from the country has said. “North Korea’s art troupe came here and performed with dances and songs, and it might seem like a fancy show on the outside,” Lee So-yeon, who was a musician in the North Korean military until she fled in 2008, told Bloomberg. “But not only do they have to be in charge of promoting Kim Jong-un’s propaganda,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2134534/north-koreas-winter-olympics-cheer-squad-are-being-forced-sexual-slavery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2134534/north-koreas-winter-olympics-cheer-squad-are-being-forced-sexual-slavery?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2018 17:10:18 +0000 Former figure skater Kim Yuna continues to dominate the South Korean advertising industry four years after retiring from competitive sport. Kim, 28, known as “queen” in Seoul, has been busy featuring in commercials after winning gold in the Vancouver Winter Olympics and silver in Sochi. After she retired following the Sochi Games, the chance for people to watch her elegant performances on ice ended, casting doubts whether her era was over. K-pop stars EXO, CL at Winter Olympics closing... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2134277/retired-south-korean-figure-skater-kim-yuna-still?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2134277/retired-south-korean-figure-skater-kim-yuna-still?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:02:51 +0000 While China was relieved to claim their first gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics with only three days left, sports fans in the mainland were equally as pleased to see it as revenge over the hosts following a series of controversies. On Thursday, the last day of Olympics skating, Wu Dajing became the first men’s short track speedskater from China to claim a gold at the Olympic Games with his victory in the 500-metre event with a world record time. The Sochi Games silver medallist beat two... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2134443/china-revels-first-gold-medal-pyeongchang-well-measure-revenge-over-host?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2134443/china-revels-first-gold-medal-pyeongchang-well-measure-revenge-over-host?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2018 07:28:48 +0000 They’re dubbed the “Garlic Girls” but go by the names Pancake, Yogurt, Steak, Cookie and Sunny – meet the South Korean curlers who are whipping up a recipe for success at the Olympics. The Koreans, ranked eighth in the world, have emerged as medal contenders at the Pyeongchang Games. After stunning top teams like Canada, Switzerland and Sweden, they were the first to advance to Friday’s semi-finals. Their giant-killing feats on the ice have drawn big crowds in a country where curling is little... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134322/south-koreas-garlic-girls-spice-winter-olympics-curling-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134322/south-koreas-garlic-girls-spice-winter-olympics-curling-they?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2018 00:02:50 +0000 US Vice-President Mike Pence on Thursday assailed the North Korean leader’s sister who sat near him at the Olympics as part of an “evil family clique” that oppresses millions. Pence and Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, sat in the same box during the February 9 opening ceremony of the Winter Games in Seoul, but the pair did not interact. That scene, broadcast worldwide, was closely watched for its diplomatic signals. The Ivanka Trump of North Korea US officials said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2134369/twisted-sister-pence-slams-kim-yo-jong-sibling-kim-jong-un-part-evil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2134369/twisted-sister-pence-slams-kim-yo-jong-sibling-kim-jong-un-part-evil?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 19:55:00 +0000 China’s Wu Dajing set a new world record as he won the men’s 500m short-track speed skating at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Thursday. It was the first gold medal for China at the Pyeongchang Games and also the first gold medal for China in men’s short track at the Olympics. The 23-year-old silver medallist from Sochi 2014 and world number one set the fastest-ever time in his quarter-final (39.8), beating the previous record set by American John Celski in 2012. He bettered that with a time... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134345/new-world-record-chinas-wu-grabs-short-track-gold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134345/new-world-record-chinas-wu-grabs-short-track-gold?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 12:31:55 +0000 Thousands of South Koreans are calling for two speedskaters to be expelled from the Olympics after they left their slower teammate behind in a race defined by teamwork and walked away as she quietly sobbed at the stadium in one of the most bizarre moments of this year’s Winter Games. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 567,000 people have signed a petition to South Korea’s presidential office calling for skaters Kim Bo-Reum and Park Ji Woo to be expelled from the Olympics. During the women’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134290/south-koreans-call-their-own-speedskaters-be-booted-winter-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2134290/south-koreans-call-their-own-speedskaters-be-booted-winter-games?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 07:55:40 +0000 The South Korean government spent more than US$260 per meal per person for the high-level North Korean delegates including leader Kim Jong-un’s sister who visited the Winter Olympics, reports said. The nuclear-armed North sent four top officials including Kim Yo-jong and the ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam, along with 18 support staff, to the Pyeongchang Winter Games as it mounted a charm offensive. The February 9-11 trip cost the Seoul government a total of 240 million won (US$220,000),... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2134272/it-cost-us260-meal-feed-north-korean-special-guests-including?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2134272/it-cost-us260-meal-feed-north-korean-special-guests-including?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 06:29:07 +0000 Chinese fans reacted strongly on Wednesday after a chaotic women’s 3,000 metre short-track speedskating relay final ended in China being controversially disqualified from the running for a silver medal. Mainland broadcaster CCTV openly questioned the decision of the International Skating Union in their Winter Olympics broadcast after the world governing body said no further comment would be made on the decision to penalise the Chinese team. South Korea took the gold medal after Canada was also... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2134240/chinese-netizens-angered-winter-olympic-ruling-over-speed-skating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/2134240/chinese-netizens-angered-winter-olympic-ruling-over-speed-skating?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 03:58:44 +0000 A plan to build an ice rink in Discovery Bay has been labelled both “very strange” and a “great opportunity” amid a mixed reaction from residents and the wider sports community. Hong Kong Resorts International has confirmed the retail enhancement project in the Discovery Bay main plaza will feature an ice rink, but details of the facility are yet to be released, with outside estimates suggesting the cost will run into the tens of millions of dollars. Amy Yung Wing-sheung, the Islands District... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2134197/why-ice-rink-multimillion-dollar-plan-discovery-bay-labelled-very?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2134197/why-ice-rink-multimillion-dollar-plan-discovery-bay-labelled-very?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2018 02:48:41 +0000