The torch for the 2018 Paralympics will be ignited simultaneously in five areas of Korea on March 2 and carried to PyeongChang in a relay run ending on the opening day of the events on March 9, where they will be unified.
The five torches are to be lit at Saebyeol Oreum on Jeju Island, Anyang in Gyeonggi Province, Nonsan in South Chungcheong Province, Gochang in North Jeolla Province and Cheongdo in North Gyeongsang Province.
The day is set as the auspicious day of the first full moon, the 15th day of the new year according to the lunar calendar. Jeju Island will host a fire festival as the Olympic torch is taken.
The torch relay will feature 800 runners who will help carry the flame to the Olympic and Paralympic host city. Among the 50 transporting the torch around Jeju Island are eight athletes for curling, skiing, swimming and running, as recommended by the Jeju Sport Association for the Disabled.
Officials pose at a press conference for the Paralympics Torch Relay, on Dec. 7, 2017. (PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games)
The torch from Jeju Island will be combined with the Heritage Flame from Stoke Mandeville of the UK, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, on March 3 or 4, then moved to Chuncheon, Wonju, Jeongseon, Gangneung and finally PyeongChang on March 9. A total 2,018 kilometers will be covered during the torch’s trip to the 2018 venue.
The Paralympics torch will light the Olympic cauldron once again, and just like it was a surprise that the final torchbearer for the 2018 Olympics was Kim Yu-na, the Paralympics’ torch honoree will also be kept a secret until the moment on the day.
PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 9 to 18 for 10 days, in PyeongChang, Gangneung and Jeongseon.
This year’s Paralympic Games will involve a total of six disciplines. For snow, it will be the four disciplines of alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. Ice will see hockey and wheelchair curling.
The slogan for the 2018 Winter Olympics is “Let Everyone Shine,” embodying the hope that the light of the torch will shine on everyone‘s dreams, passions and future.
By Lim Jeong-yeo (
kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)
