'National houses' not just for patriots

Canada House near Gangneung Olympic Park welcomes four visitors on electric scooters decorated with a British flag, Feb. 10. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Ko Dong-hwan

In Gangneung and PyeongChang, where much of this year’s Winter Olympic action takes place, visitors can find more than games or star athletes to have fun, as “national houses” for each national team intrigue Korean and international visitors.

The hospitality houses, operating during the Olympic period from Feb. 9 to 25 or until the end of the Paralympics in March, feature multifaceted roles and differ from country to country. And yet, they all offer a home away from home and support athletes of their countries, highlighting their global identity and pleasing guests. It’s what a South Korean media outlet dubbed “a canvassing outside stadiums.”

Team Korea House is at Gangneung Olympic Park. Opening on Feb. 8, the three-storied structure with a gross area of 1,803 square meters not only supports national athletes but also caters to journalists, engages in sports diplomacy and promotes national history and customs.

Team Korea House inside Gangneung Olympic Park / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The multi-purposed first floor provides space for press conferences for medalists, public events featuring winter sports figures and various official gatherings for athletes. People can watch South Korean athletes’ events from a giant TV screen there. When the place is not booked for any events, traditional South Korean cultural experiences organized by the Korea Tourism Organization are open to the public.

The second floor is reserved for South Korean athletes. They can check their performances through video analysis, receive psychological therapy, manage their health condition and unwind with recreational games.

The top floor is where diplomatic meetings are arranged, featuring a VIP lounge and meeting rooms.

Strewn along a narrow street next to Gangneung Olympic Park is the single-storied Canada House. With a $25 admission fee, visitors can watch Canadian athletes and try Canadian foods and drinks.

Boasting “no shortage of red and white,” Team Canada promoted the Canadian venue on Facebook with a video clip of the place.

House of Switzerland opened at Yongpyong Ski Resort in PyeongChang, two days before the Games’ start. Three two-storied Swiss chalet structures are open to the public, operating state broadcaster SRG SSR television and radio studios and selling traditional Swiss foods, wines and other local products.

“Visitors to our little piece of Switzerland will even be able to ski and play hockey! No previous House of Switzerland has been so close to our athletes and embodied so perfectly the winter sports that are written into our DNA,” the Swiss house says on its website.

Tokyo 2020 Japan House inside Gangneung Olympic Park / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Japan, the host country of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, erected its signature house inside Gangneung Olympic Park. Tokyo 2020 Japan House, jointly run by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee and Tokyo Prefecture, opened on Feb. 9, free for people with daily admission tickets.

The venue offers a glimpse into innovative technologies to be adapted at the 2020 Olympics and newly introduced events there such as softball, surfing and sport climbing.

Austria House, situated in Mountain Cluster near the entrance of Yongpyong resort, is a two-storied building with a gross area of 1,200 square meters, housing offices for the national Olympic organizing committee, a press center and a ball room. It houses infrastructure for Austrian state broadcasting ORF and offers products of “Deli Austria,” including bakeries made by the country’s local equipment and patissiers brought here.

The Austrian venue hosts “Snow Volleyball Night” on Feb. 14, an exhibition match arranged by the International Volleyball Federation and European Volleyball Confederation. The showcase, same as beach volleyball without the snow, invites Olympic stars from volleyball and beach volleyball.

The Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte, center, visits Holland Heineken House at Lakai Sandpine Resort in Gangneung, on Feb. 10, with a crowd of journalists and his aides behind him. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Holland Heineken House at Lakai Sandpine Resort in Gangneung purports to be the meeting house for Dutch athletes and their fans, its website says. It features South Korean and Dutch culinary choices, including the nation’s global beer Heineken, at an admission fee of 12.5 euros. All the legendary Orange moments for Team NL are celebrated here in the house.

The Sweden national house at Yongpyong resort, Sweden Arena, was built in collaboration with partners like Scania and Discovery, and furnished with North European furniture. The house celebrates its first national hospitality house for the Olympic Games. It features a live studio to send press conferences back to its home country and sells traditional clothing and accessories.

Italian house Casa Italia is set up at Yongpyong Gold Club House, welcoming visitors with wines imported from Italy. With big screens for competition watching and a restaurant with Italian food, the invitation-only venue is some days and nights open to fans of Italy as well.

Visitors to Gangneung Olympic Park enjoy cup noodles and beers on a bench on Feb. 10. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

USA House, situated in the Mountain Cluster at the base of Yongpyong Ski Resort, charges a $300 admission fee and is by invitation-only. Next to the Swiss and Swedish houses, the American venue features food, beverages, and daily activities for Team USA, friends, families and corporate sponsors.

Germany’s national house at Birch Hill Golf Club in Yongpyong resort is reserved for athletes and the base station for the German athletes and their guests from the media, business and politics. It charges an admission fee of $450. To visit one must contact the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The British Embassy in Seoul launched British House for Team GB at Ambassador Charles Hay’s residence. The Czech House, opposite the Olympics Athletes Village in Gangneung, is open to the public serving Czech beer Pilsner Urquell and national foods. The country claims it is the biggest one in the history of the Winter Olympics.

Slovenia’s Olympic House, Slovenska Hisa, at Peak Island Water Park near Yongpyong resort, PyeongChang, is open to the public and exhibits the country’s economy, tourist attractions, culture and sports to visitors.