XXIII Winter Olympic Games 2018
09-25 February 2018 | Pyeongchang, South Korea
Malaysia competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. It was our first appearance at the Winter Olympics. Team Malaysia consisted of five people: two athletes, two officials and one chef de mission.
PyeongChang 2018’s vision for the 2018 Games was to offer the Olympic Movement and the world of winter sports New Horizons – a legacy of new growth and new potential never seen before. Its Winter Games plan was one of the most compact in Olympic history, it offered a unique stage on which the world’s best athletes could achieve superior performances. With PyeongChang’s strategic position in Asia, and its access to a young and fast-growing youth market, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games exposed new generations of potential athletes to the power of winter sport.
Emblem
Mascot
Taking inspiration from the white tiger which is considered Korea’s guardian animal, the Pyeongchang 2018 mascot is named “Sooharang”.
“Sooho”, meaning “protection” in Korean, symbolises the protection offered to the athletes, spectators and other participants of the 2018 Games. “Rang” comes from the middle letter of “Ho-rang-i”, the Korean word for “tiger”, and is also the last letter of “Jeong-seon A-ri-rang”, a cherished traditional folk song of Gangwon Province, where the Games were held.
Soohorang not only has a challenging spirit and passion but is also a trustworthy friend who protects the athletes, spectators and all the participants of the Olympic Games.
Torch
The torch, designed and manufactured by Young-se Kim, features two main colours, white and gold with the former representing snow and ice, the two main elements of winter sports.
At the top, the exterior shell is divided into five vertical branches to form a pentagonal shape, representing the sporting passion and spirit that unites the five Olympic continents (Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia). A colorful raised PyeongChang 2018 emblem decorates the body of the torch, and the handle is printed with golden stars.
The 700-millimeter length of the torch represents the altitude of PyeongChang, which lies 700 meters above sea level. The torch is specially designed so that the flame can burn continuously despite inclement weather: it generates an air tunnel that sends more oxygen to the flame, and a pentagonal hole at the bottom of the torch allows water to drain.
Dato’ Sieh Kok Chi was born on the 8th of November 1938. After his retirement in 1991, as an Engineer in the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Malaysia, Dato’ Sieh chose to continue his involvement, full time, in the field of sports, where his life-long passion was, especially in the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).
Born on 21st March 1949, Y.A.M Tunku Tan Sri Imran is the second son of the late Tuanku Jaafar, an elected monarch of the Negeri Sembilan. Tunku Imran was educated in the UK at the King’s School, Canterbury and studied law at Nottingham University before being called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn, London in 1971 and qualifying as a Barrister at Law.