Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Update (Day 15)
As the Olympics begin to wind down they are featuring many of the new sports that were added to the programme this year.
Fans watching these new sports in the Olympics will notice a pretty obvious theme to every sport added to the games.
That theme is the fact that all of these sports are geared towards increasing the excitement in the Olympics.
The first new sport that everyone saw was right at the beginning of the Games as Mixed Doubles Curling opened the games before the opening ceremonies.
Mixed Doubles is a version of a sport that many believe to be a bit boring and a bit slow.
There are some nations that take it very seriously and almost like baseball, they appreciate the little parts of the game which make it what it is, a game of precision and strategy.
Mixed Doubles takes that precision and strategy and shortens everything to make the participants think on their feet.
With only 8 ends, as opposed to ten, and only five rocks, as opposed to eight, while also including two rocks placed in the house.
The rules of this game lead to more scoring and bigger scores in one end while also quicken the game.
That is meant to increase the excitement of the sport and follows the same thought process of so many when it comes to the new sports added.
On Day 15 the finals for the men’s Big Air competition which was preceded by the women’s Big Air competition.
This sport is following in the process of the Olympics to add extreme sports to the program and include many of the X Games sports in the Olympics.
The X Games are a version of the Olympics but for extreme sports and they are extremely popular with a younger fan base.
Big Air is a sport that is built for excitement as athletes get three runs and one jump to put on their biggest two tricks.
It is quick and it is exciting making it the perfect sport to add to the programme as it provides that excitement that the Olympics are constantly looking for as the years go on.
Day 15 saw another debut of a sport or rather a discipline in a sport with the addition of the team competition in Alpine skiing.
Alpine Skiing has been one of the most traditional sports in the Winter Olympics and is an essential part of the programme.
For decades the sport has been one of the bigger events and really epitomizes the Winter Games.
It also hasn’t changed in that time and the team event was meant to bring more eyes to the sport.
The team event is a pretty simple concept as two teams made up of two men and two women race against each other through a course of gates.
Each individual race adds up and the team that wins more races wins the event if there is a tie the time differential will determine the winner.
Again this event is a fast and basic event that brings another level of excitement to the Alpine Skiing.
The final new event began on Day 15 as well with the speed skating mass start entering the Olympics for the first time.
Unlike the usual one-on-one races, this event pits all of the racers on the track at the same time in one all-out race to the finish.
It is not as quick as some of the other new sports but the thrill is in the build-up where skaters can pull out unexpectedly and force the rest of the pack to follow.
There is an unpredictability to the discipline that lends some more excitement than the usual races on long track.
All of these new sports have that same thing in common as they all provide a new level of excitement.
It is not a mistake that this is the case as the Olympics are looking to do what every piece of entertainment is doing right now.
They are trying to appeal to a younger audience that tends to have a shorter attention span than in the past.
These exciting new versions of sports and the new sports, in general, are appealing to that group and they are successful.
Many fans are loving these new sports and for the Olympics, it is a sign that they are making the right decisions.
These types of sports and disciplines will continue to be added to the programme as the Olympics continue their attempt to evolve.
The Canadian Story:
Carrying the Flag
After taking a bronze medal after a Korean skater was eliminated, Kim Boutin received death threats from fans who believe she didn’t deserve the medal and that she cheated to get it. It was the worst start she could have ever dreamed of in her first Olympics but then she came back to win two more medals in short track. The now three-time medalist will complete one of the best stories for Canada in the Olympics when she carries the flag in the Closing Ceremonies.
First Champion
The men’s Big Air final was a highlight of Day 15 and Canada had a good shot of taking medals with gold medal favourite Mark McMorris looking to add to his collection. With Max Parrot and McMorris qualifying near the top they were expected to take medals. What wasn’t expected was that the Canadian who qualified the lowest would rise up to take the gold medal which is exactly what Sebastien Toutant did taking the first-ever gold in men’s big air.
Leaving with a Medal
It is not the colour of metal that they were expecting or that they wanted but the men’s hockey team did end up with a medal. In a tournament that was always built as unpredictable, the Canadians were not necessarily the odds-on favourite to win it all. They still worked their way through the tournament but were surprised by the Germans in the semi-final. They recovered well and beat the Czech Republic to win the bronze and leave the games with a medal.
The Sport Addiction 