[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang athletes village to open this week

With the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games just 10 days away, its two athletes' villages will open later this week for thousands of participants attending the multi-sports event, the games' organizing committee said Tuesday.

The official opening ceremonies will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday -- one at PyeongChang and one at Gangneung -- according to the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

There are two villages for the 2018 Winter Games. The PyeongChang Village will serve athletes performing at snow events in the host town of PyeongChang, located 180 kilometers east of Seoul, and in nearby Jeongseon, while athletes taking part in ice events such as hockey and skating will be accommodated in the Gangneung Olympic Village, east of PyeongChang.

The PyeongChang Village has eight 15-story buildings, amounting to 600 units. Its Gangneung counterpart has nine 25-story buildings, or 922 units. The two villages can house nearly 7,000 residents.

The villages will have various facilities for athletes, including banks, post offices, convenience stores, laundry rooms, gyms and religious centers.

The organizing committee said that on the opening day, delegations from 22 nations, including the United States, Japan and Canada, are scheduled to check in.

South Korean athletes for snow events will move into the PyeongChang residence on the same day, while their colleagues in skating and ice hockey will arrive in the Gangneung village on Feb. 4-6.

The first welcoming ceremony will take place at the PyeongChang quarters for teams from Jamaica, Brazil, Romania and Belgium on Feb. 5.

On the next day, the greeting events for the US and Nigeria will be held at PyeongChang, while the host country will have its welcoming ceremony on Feb. 7 in Gangneung.

South Korea's first Winter Olympics will kick off on Feb. 9 for a 17-day run and 102 gold medals will be up for grabs. (Yonhap)