PyeongChang 2018: Paralympics curriculum launched

"We want PyeongChang 2018 to be a catalyst to help educate our nation about winter sports, about the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the spirit and meaning behind them."

Students across South Korea are getting the chance to learn all about the upcoming Paralympic Winter Games in the country thanks to the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games Curriculum.

As a part of the wider PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games Curriculum introduced by the Organising Committee (POCOG) in partnership with Education First (EF), the newly created Paralympic module includes teacher lesson plans, multimedia classroom materials and a range of videos on Paralympic Winter Sports.

‘Watch-Teach-Learn-Download’ are the key elements of the bi-lingual website that has been developed with local sponsor EF. The Ministry of Education have given their full backing to the programme and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with POCOG back in 2016 to proactively engage schools around the Games, and they will now also be proactively encouraging schools to engage in the Paralympic curriculum leading to Games time.

POCOG President LEE Hee-Beom said, “Education is a very important element of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games for us. We want PyeongChang 2018 to be a catalyst to help educate our nation about winter sports, about the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the spirit and meaning behind them.

“The launch of the Paralympic curriculum is another key chapter in our students’ discovery around the Games and we hope that many of them embrace this opportunity as it will be something that stays with them for the rest of their lives.”

The Olympic Games module of the curriculum was launched in April 2017 and has been a huge hit with over 50,000 monthly visitors to its website and 40,000 students taking part in the interactive online lessons to date.

Middle school students in Korea will also have an opportunity to take part in a competition that was also launched today (5 September). Students are required to submit a five minute video on a Paralympic topic of their choice with 20 finalists being selected to make a special presentation at Kookmin University. The winners will earn a trip to New York to attend a one-week language course. Students and teachers assisting with the winning entry will also be recognised for their efforts, and the top three entrants will also receive a scholarship to further their studies.