Fun Facts and How to Watch the 2018 Paralympic Games

With the start of the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang today, here are some fun facts about the Winter Paralympic Games:

• In 1960, Rome hosted the first official Summer Paralympic Games. The games were inspired by a competition that took place over a decade earlier among injured veterans in Great Britain. Sweeden hosted the first Winter Paralympic competition in 1976. The United States has hosted the Paralympics three separate times, and will again in 2028 when the summer games debut in Los Angeles.
• This year’s games will feature approximately 670 competitors from over 100 different countries. Athletes will compete in 80 medal events across six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboard, and wheelchair curling. At the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, the United States won a total of 18 medals.
• The mascot of the 2018 Paralympic Games is “Bandabi” an Asiatic black bear closely associated with Korean culture. The Paralympic Committee has also launched “Actualising the Dream”, a project aimed at promoting adaptive winter sports.

How to Watch:

NBC will be broadcasting an unprecedented amount of Paralympic coverage. Events will be shown on live television and streamed online at www.nbcsports.com. In total, NBC Olympics will be airing over 250 hours of Paralympic competition including the opening and closing ceremonies.

Calendar of Events:

March 9th – Opening Ceremony
March 10th – Alpine Skiing and Biathlon Medal Events
March 11th – Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing Medal Events
March 12th – Cross-Country Skiing and Snowboard Medal Events
March 13th – Alpine Skiing and Biathlon Medal Events
March 14th – Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing Medal Events
March 15th – Alpine Skiing Medal Events
March 16th – Biathlon and Snowboard Medal Events
March 17th – Ice Hockey, Wheelchair Curling, Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing Medal Events
March 18th – Ice Hockey, Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing Medal Events and Closing Ceremony
* Ice Hockey and Wheelchair Curling pre-medal competition takes place from March 10th – March 16th

For more information on the 2018 Paralympic Games from PyeongChang, visit www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/paralympics/index