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South Korea's 'Garlic Girls' Curling Team Getting Global Attention

South Korea's women's curling team has been dubbed the "Garlic Girls."GETTY IMAGES

They are 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," according to Sunghee Hwang of the AFP. The Koreans, ranked eighth in the world, have emerged as "medal contenders" at the Pyeongchang Games. Their "giant-killing feats on the ice" have drawn big crowds in a country where "curling is little known." They entered the tournament "as outsiders" and saw the crowds "build up as they went from win to win." Coach Kim Ming-jung said, "We are surprised that curling can be so welcomed in Korea." South Korea sent its first curling team to the Olympics in '14. Kim added, "We've always wanted to make curling a more popular and common recreational sport in Korea and we're happy we are getting there" (AFP, 2/22). 

STREAMING BOOST: REUTERS' Baker & Tétrault-Farber reported in a sport where music "can play a big role in drawing in the audience," figure skating has introduced songs with lyrics at the Olympics, a move that has "boosted several songs on at least one streaming service." Data from Amazon.com showed that "some half a dozen songs featured at the Pyeongchang Games had become much more popular" with its streaming music users. The soundtrack to the '01 film "Moulin Rouge," Cinematic Orchestra's '07 song "To Build a Home" and Coldplay's '14 song "O" saw "major boosts" in streaming during Olympic competition this month, a spokesperson for Amazon Music said (REUTERS, 2/22). 

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