Pyeongchang,(AP/UNB) – The temperature at the Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang was minus-3 Fahrenheit (minus-16 Celsius) when many athletes and officials woke up. Sidewalks in the nearby mountain cluster were sparsely populated all day.Those who did venture outside layered clothing under bulky jackets and stepped over icy mounds of old snow in sturdy boots. Olympic volunteers stationed at bus stops crowded around patio heaters. Few tourists appeared willing to brave the elements.In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.
Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.
