No.78 Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

From the opening ceremony on February 9th to the closing ceremony on February 25th, this year's Winter Olympics saw the participation of approximately 2,900 athletes from 92 countries and regions, the largest number ever, and 102 events in 7 sports.
I think this Olympics had two characteristics.
The first is that North Korea's participation was suddenly decided, and the first-ever joint South and North Korean women's ice hockey team was formed. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are festivals of sports and culture, but President Thomas Bach repeatedly brought up reconciliation between South and North Korea in his speeches, giving the impression that this year's Games had a strong political tone.
Second, Russia was banned from competing as a country by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) after being accused of systematic doping violations.
Only those athletes from Russia who were proven to be innocent were allowed to participate as individual athletes as OARs (Olympic athletes from Russia). While they won a total of 17 medals, two athletes in curling and bobsled were expelled for doping violations.
As you can see, the doping problem is still deep-rooted, and despite the efforts of related organizations, it has not been resolved.
Japan has never had a violation at the Olympics, but this time, short track speed skating skater Kei Saito tested positive for doping and was provisionally suspended. Official punishment will be decided after the Olympics, but if there is a violation, he will become the first Japanese to win a Winter Olympics. In September last year, an incident occurred in which canoeist Yasuhiro Suzuki put a banned substance into his rival's drink, damaging the image of Japan as a clean country. I hope that the country will work together to restore trust.
Despite these problems, the players' sincere attitude toward sports impressed us.
The goal of the Japanese team, which included 124 athletes, was to win nine or more medals, including multiple gold medals. The achievements so far have been 10 in Nagano and 8 in Sochi, but this time we have won 4 gold medals.
They achieved a total of 13 pieces, 5 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze, clearing their goals and breaking previous records.
I think every athlete who participates in the Olympics has a touching story to tell, but I was especially moved by figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who made a miraculous recovery from an injury last November.
The Winter Paralympic Games were held from March 9th to 18th, with approximately 570 athletes from 48 countries and regions participating, the largest number ever, and 80 events in 6 sports.
Similar to the Olympics, Russia was prohibited from participating in the Paralympics as a country, but was allowed to participate as an NPA (neutral Paralympic athlete).
The Japanese team had 38 participants in 5 sports. At the Sochi Games, they won six medals, but this year they won a total of 10 medals: three gold, four silver, and three bronze, breaking the record for the most medals at the Olympics.
I believe that the social participation of people with disabilities is an indicator of a country's cultural level. In that sense, I think Japan's 9th place in the world in terms of medals is a good result, as countries with advanced winter sports compete against each other.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held consecutively in East Asia in the summer of 2020 in Tokyo and in the winter of 2022 in Beijing. It's an environment without time differences, which is advantageous for both the players and the TV viewers. Let's all support each other and have dreams and excitement!