The wind chill at Olympic Stadium tomorrow night for the Pyeongchang Games Opening Ceremony is "projected at 14 degrees" and there is "concern" about athletes' and spectators' well-being, according to Jake Seiner of the AP. Attendees will be "given kits with a poncho, a blanket, a beanie hat and heat packs for their seat, hands and feet." But most athletes "don't seem concerned with temperatures" for tomorrow night. Team USA members have been "told they will have a warm waiting area before marching, and many plan to leave shortly after the U.S. delegation walks -- not uncommon at the Olympics." They also will be "wearing battery-powered heated jackets" (AP, 2/7). As many as 35,000 people are "expected for the Opening Ceremony" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/8).
WHAT'S COLDER THAN COLD? In N.Y., John Branch notes it is "hardly a revelation" that it will be "cold at the Winter Olympics." However, the days leading up to the Pyeongchang Games have been "bracingly -- at times subzero -- cold, especially compared with previous Winter Olympics" in Sochi and Vancouver. This year's event might even be the "coldest Olympics since" the '94 Lillehammer Games. U.S. cross-country skier Ida Sargent said, "It's nice to have it finally feel like winter. That's not something we always see, especially in the last few years, with mild winters." Branch notes cross-country skiers will "wear long underwear under their skintight suits," and alpine skiers will "crowd into the heated start houses to keep loose." Biathletes are trying to find the "right gloves to wear to keep them warm while giving them the dexterity to load and fire their rifles" (NYTIMES.com, 2/8). In San Jose, Elliott Almond notes temperatures have been between 15-20 degrees, but "bracing winds from Siberia have left everyone shivering." The winds are "expected to subside and temperatures to rise heading into the first week of competition" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 2/8). YAHOO SPORTS' Alex Baker wrote after two consecutive Winter Games it "was so warm the snow melted, you’d think a nice frosty Winter Games would be welcome." Baker: "We shall see. Because by all accounts, it’s going to be 'bitterly cold'" in Pyeongchang (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/6).
NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: In Toronto, Bruce Arthur writes under the header, "The Problem With Pyeongchang Is ... There Aren’t Any Problems." Arthur writes, "We are used to coming to Olympics and looking for problems." There was "not enough snow" in Vancouver, while London in '12 has some "vague worries about terrorism." Sochi four years ago had "hotel rooms that started to disintegrate within moments of their construction," while the '16 Rio Games had "human body parts in the water and a collapsing economy." But in Pyeongchang, it is "all just dandy, thanks" (TORONTO STAR, 2/8).
