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PYEONGCHANG, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- PyeongChang 2018 celebrated its One-Year-to-Go countdown by unveiling its Olympic torch and torchbearer uniform at a ceremony in Gangneung on Thursday.
The torch was revealed by figure skating Olympic champion Kim Yuna, and Kim Magnus, who awarded South Korea its first-ever gold medal in the cross-country skiing at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games, together with five local students.
The 700-millimeter torch represents the altitude of the host city, which is 700 meters above sea level. And the white and gold tones, which are the main colors of the 2018 torch relay, represent the Winter Olympics, a global festival to be held on white snow and ice.
The flame takes the form of five prongs as the symbol of PyeongChang, which is also engraved around the top and bottom half of the torch. The five-angled shape in the middle of the cap represents the spirit of sports, which connects races, nations, religions, genders and cultures, and the five continents around the world united with passion.
The torch, designed by Korean Kim Young Se who believes design is about making people happy and creating something that people want, will be produced by PyeongChang 2018 official supplier, the Hanwha Corporation, that having also produced the Seoul 1988 Olympic Torch.
The torchbearer uniform, also unveiled at the countdown ceremony, is produced by The North Face, the PyeongChang 2018 official partner, with the design combining the colors of the white Olympic torch, and blue, yellow, black, green and red from the Olympic Rings.
The uniform was designed to be comfortable and practical for torchbearers in different weather conditions. The back and sleeves are made of water-repellent fabric, while the front and shoulders are made out of waterproof fabric. Hybrid material was used for the jacket fillings to keep the torchbearers warm in the cold.
Lee Hee-beom, president of the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (POCOG), said: "Unveiling the Olympic Torch at the PyeongChang 2018 One-Year-to-Go Ceremony represents the start of a countdown to a remarkable celebration. With its beautiful design and technical features, the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Torch will become a symbol of excitement and inspiration of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Torch Relay will bring the spotlight to PyeongChang, sparking passion to connect the world together."
IOC Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg said: "I would like to congratulate POCOG on their beautiful Olympic Torch and torchbearer uniforms, which will play a major role in bringing the excitement of the Games to the whole of the Republic of Korea next winter. The Olympic Torch Relay is unique in its ability to unite people and to transmit the Olympic values. I am confident that a new generation of Koreans will embrace the Olympic Torch Relay, as happened ahead of the Olympic Games Seoul 1988, and that the world will appreciate this important symbol of Korean design." Enditem
