Italy has hosted the Olympic Winter Games once before – exactly half a century ago in Cortina d’Ampezzo. These were the first Winter Games to be televised, and were the first in which the Soviet Union competed.
Forty meteorologists and nivologists (snow experts) from the Piemonte meteorological office are continuously mapping temperature trends and snow movements so athletes can choose the best equipment and ski wax for the conditions.
Curling stones are made from a rare, dense granite quarried on the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig. Curling is known as the roaring games because of the noise the stones make as they travel across the ice.
Source: Panasonic Media Guide
Updated 2018