Don't Hate the Player...
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games and coming up in Korea and as expected of globally organized contests of this magnitude, sh*t is hitting the fan. At this very moment, a mere 1.5 months before the lighting of the ceremonial flame, only about 55% of the tickets have been sold.
The abysmal sales for what might be the biggest event in Asia in decades is the result of several major unfortunate factors at this moment in history. Let’s try to unpack this all today -
The King in the North
Unsurprisingly, the dictatorial tantrums of Kim Jong-un over off past the demilitarized horizon is causing global anxiety of ever stepping on Korean soil. Missile tests, explosive showcases of bravado, and globally destabilizing tiffs with President Trump have turned one of the safest regions of the world into one of potential catastrophe.
Source: IB Times
The official participation of North Korea in February is still uncertain. A number of athletes qualified but the administration was too busy trying to bully Japan and missed the registration deadline. Taking late applications seems to have become an issue of global fate.
Collusion Backfired
No matter what you think about Russia’s influence on the region and their shenanigans at the Rio games that led to their full banning from this year’s Olympics, their lack of presence will be felt economically. The country was found guilt of performing national doping programs across all categories. Russia is unable to participate as a country and as such, one of Korea’s most robust economic neighbors will likely sit this winter out in terms of travel and viewership.
Source: Rolling Stone
Doomsday Journalism
Western media hysteria isn’t helping as well. Despite the actually minuscule amount of real damage the chubby dictator has actually done (compared to, let’s say, the amount of domestic terrorist acts on US ground this year alone), media outlets have already decided that World War 3 is inevitable. No one wants to go watch the Olympics in 1945 Hiroshima.
: Source: Plaid for Women
Will Dreams of Grandeur Come True?
The South Korean government must prove to its citizens and the world that the long battle for the Olympic Games was actually a fight worth pursuing. The ability to even petition for the games came from several years of preparation.
Source: Pinimg
In true Korean fashion, both the government and its citizens have been long preparing to host the world properly this February. A completely new high-speed rail, hundreds of new businesses, tour programs, national events, and so much more were prepared just for these weeks. It’s the first time the world’s attention will be on Korea since the ’02 World Cup and the country doesn’t want to let its global audience down.
Now if only these pesky superpowers would stop causing a ruckus.
