各國運動健兒已摩拳擦掌，期待在平昌冬奧會上一展風采。然而，與熱烈的氛圍形成鮮明對比的，是寒冷的天氣。據預測，平昌冬奧會很可能成為歷史上最冷的一屆冬奧會。

2018年2月7日，中國花樣滑冰隊在韓國江陵冰上運動場展開訓練，備戰即將開幕的2018平昌冬奧會。 新華社記者鞠煥宗攝

The 2018 Winter Olympics may set a record for being the coldest since the 1994 games.
2018年平昌冬奧會可能將成為1994年冬奧會以來最冷的一屆。

Concerned athletes are already shivering on social media, so what will seriously sub-zero temperatures mean for events, for the equipment, and for the competitors and fans getting ready for 17 days of action?
運動員們在社交媒體上表達了擔憂之情。那么在17天的賽程中，如此嚴寒的天氣對賽事、比賽裝備、運動員和觀眾又將意味著什么呢？

平昌冬奧會到底有多冷？

Between -2C and -5C for the opening ceremony - starting at 20:00 local time on Friday- according to the Korean Meteorological Administration's news conference on Wednesday.
根據韓國氣象局周三新聞發布會的消息，平昌冬奧會當地時間2月9日晚8點舉行時，氣溫在零下2至零下5攝氏度。

The agency says this is "on par" with average February temperatures in previous years of around 0C with temperatures at night getting down to around -10C. To date, the 1994 edition in Lillehammer, Norway, was the coldest Games on record with a low of -11C.
氣象局表示，這與近幾年平昌2月份大約0度、夜間低至零下10度的平均氣溫大致相當。迄今為止，1994年挪威利勒哈默爾冬奧會是史上最冷的冬奧會，氣溫達到破紀錄的零下11度。

At nearly half a mile above sea level, Pyeongchang is regarded as one of the coldest regions of South Korea, and is Earth's coldest location for its latitude.
平昌海拔約0.5英里（約合0.8千米），是韓國最寒冷的地區之一，也是地球同緯度最冷的地區。

It's the windchill factor.
這是因為風寒因素。

At the opening ceremony rehearsal on Saturday, biting winds dropped the temperature to -23C. The agency said spectators should "brace themselves" and Olympics officials have warned everyone attending to "wrap up and prepare properly".
在上周六的開幕式彩排上，刺骨的寒風使溫度下降到零下23度。氣象局表示，觀眾要“做好準備”，奧委會官員也提醒參加的所有人“穿得暖暖和和的，做好適當的防寒。”

面對氣溫的驟降，國際奧委會主席巴赫在4日當天的發布會上，還和到場媒體記者開起了玩笑。

太冷卻不下雪？只好用假雪

Because of the freezing temperatures, Pyeongchang is susceptible to variable levels of snowfall. Major snowstorms are a rarity in the area, and in February 2017 it snowed on just seven days with an average snowfall of 6.3cm.
由于氣溫達到冰點，平昌易受各種程度降雪的影響，但卻很少下大雪。2017年2月，平昌就下了7天雪，平均降雪量6.3厘米。

It's a concern shared by Games organisers who, as a result, have brought in snow cannons to produce it artificially at a cost of ￡4.4m.
主辦方為此感到擔憂，因此他們搬來了雪炮來造雪，耗資440萬英鎊（約合3847萬元人民幣）。

At the Yongpyong Alpine Centre - which will host slalom and giant slalom alpine skiing races - 250 snow guns served by three pumping stations have been installed.
在平昌高山滑雪中心，主辦方已安裝了三臺泵站，用于支持250個雪炮造雪。這里將舉行障礙滑雪賽和大回轉高山滑雪賽。

2018年2月7日，參加2018平昌冬奧會的速度滑冰運動員在韓國江陵速滑館訓練備戰。 新華社記者鞠煥宗攝

連加拿大運動員都覺得太冷了，運動員如何應對？

"The wind is the worst - you walk around the Olympic village and it is like a nightmare," says Canadian skeleton racer Kevin Boyer.
加拿大俯式冰橇選手凱文-波伊爾說：“風刮得太冷了，在奧運村四處走走簡直是噩夢般的經歷。”

"It's funny because coming from Canada we talk about being used to the cold but this is a cold we haven't seen before."
“我們來自加拿大，習慣了嚴寒，但還沒感受過這種寒冷，挺好玩的。”

The first real test will be Friday's opening ceremony, with reports that some athletes may miss it altogether. The Italian team has already told any staff with existing health issues to skip the curtain-raiser and has reminded its athletes to keep moving at all times.
第一次的真正考驗將是周五的開幕式。有報道稱，一些運動員將集體缺席。意大利隊已經告知有健康問題的成員不要參加開幕式，并提醒運動員不停地活動身體。

The US team have specially heated jackets for the opening ceremony, while Australian freestyle skier Lydia Lassila has turned down the opportunity to carry her nation's flag into the opening ceremony to avoid the cold before competition.
美國隊為開幕式特制了保溫夾克，澳大利亞自由式滑雪選手莉迪亞-拉希亞拒絕在開幕式當旗手，免得在賽前感冒。

Team GB have, after a "significant" amount of planning, designed a kit geared around both "performance and warmth".
英國隊做好了周密準備，設計了同時兼顧“比賽成績和保暖”的賽場用品。

但還是有英國選手吐槽說，冷得像到了波羅的海國家：

比賽裝備會不會有影響？

"One of the coaches said they are throwing the skis out after today," said ski course technician Craig Randell, overseeing practice on Wednesday. "You can't do anything about it, but with the cold temperatures the snow adheres to the ski base and twists it.
滑雪場技術人員克雷格-蘭德爾周三在觀看運動員練習時說：“一位教練說，今天過后就得把滑雪板扔掉了。沒有辦法，氣溫太低，雪附著在滑雪板底部，把它弄壞了。”

"They are turning their skis to garbage real fast."
“滑雪板用不了多久就得被扔進垃圾堆。”

Austrian alpine skier Marcel Hirscher added: "Snow crystals get really sharp when temperatures go to -20C. It's the same as lighting a fire and burning your ski base because the snow crystals get such sharp edges."
奧地利高山滑雪選手馬塞爾-赫希爾補充說：“氣溫達到零下20度時雪晶非常鋒利，和點火燒壞滑雪板底部的效果一樣，因為雪晶有銳利的邊緣。”

Such icy surfaces can make competing difficult, with skiers and snowboarders struggling to dig their edges in to make turns. That said, if the ice is smooth it makes for the ultimate piste condition for the speed skiing events of downhill and super-G.
這種冰面也增加了比賽難度，滑雪選手很難在冰面上轉彎。也就是說，對滑降賽和超大回轉滑雪等快速滑雪比賽來說，平滑的冰面是最理想的場地。

對觀眾來說意味著什么？

The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium - where the opening and closing ceremonies will take place - was built without a roof in order to save time, but it's a decision that organisers could come to regret given the current temperature forecast.
本屆冬奧會開閉幕式將在平昌奧林匹克體育場舉行，為了節約建筑時間，體育場沒有頂棚。現在預報氣溫如此之低，主辦方會后悔的。

Costing $58m to build, the stadium also lacks central heating as it was deemed too expensive for the arena, which will be dismantled after the conclusion of March's Winter Paralympic Games.
體育場耗資5800萬美元（約合3.64億人民幣），卻沒有中央供暖，因為主辦方認為這太費錢。3月份的冬季殘奧會結束后，體育場就要拆除了。

According to reports, six people who attended a concert at the pentagonal stadium in December were treated for hypothermia, while others huddled in bathrooms to take a break from the icy cold.
據報道，去年12月有6名在這個五角形體育場參加音樂會的人得了低體溫癥，還有一些人為了避寒，干脆躲在衛生間里。

As a result, each of the 43,000 spectators expected to attend the opening ceremony on Friday will receive heating pads, a blanket, a warm seat cushion and a raincoat, while 18 heat shelters, 40 large heaters and windshields have been put up.
因此，周五4.3萬名開幕式現場觀眾將領到發熱貼、毛毯、發熱坐墊和雨衣。另外，主辦方還搭建了18個取暖休息室，添置了40個大型加熱器和擋風罩。

Organisers are also planning audience participation during pre-ceremony entertainment in order to keep spectators as warm as possible.
為了讓觀眾盡可能暖和一些，主辦方還計劃開幕式之前舉行一些娛樂活動，讓觀眾參與一下，“熱熱身”。

英文來源：BBC
翻譯&編審：yaning