We are officially one year away from the next Olympics, the 2018 Winter Olympics. They kick off next February in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The city is east of Seoul, in the northern part of the country.Though South Korea has hosted the games before, there had been four new events added for the 2018 Olympics.Alpine skiing will have a mixed team event. Curling will have a mixed doubles event. Speed skating will have what's being called a mass start event. And for snowboarders, a big air event makes its debut.

There are a number of challenges that any city faces when hosting the Olympics. For one thing, it's incredibly expensive. Billions and billions are spent. Venues have to be built. Security has to be arranged.Host countries are under the international media microscope for everything, from their weather, to how they manage housing changes, to their political conditions.South Korea's president, Park Geun-hye was impeached in December and a court is deciding whether to permanently remove her from a power, as a major investigation is made concerning the nation's political scandal.But on the other side of those challenges is the chance for Pyeongchang to shine as the backdrop of a beloved international sporting event, one that brings together athletes, families, fans and photographs from all corners of the globe.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are less than one year until the 2018 Winter Games begin in Pyeongchang. You know, as far as how things are going, no major issues so far. Organizers say they are largely happy with the progress that has been made. The majority of the infrastructure needed for this event has been built already.And, frankly, that kind of progress stands out after what we've seen from the last two Olympic Games. Of course, I'm talking about the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014, and the Summer Olympics last year in Rio de Janeiro, 2016. Both of those events were plagued by things like construction delays overspending accusations of corruption. And so, organizers of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are trying to do their best, in their words, to not repeat those kind of mistakes.

But there are certainly challenges that remain, including the fact that Pyeongchang is one of the smaller cities to host these Winter Olympics, and the fact that there are still infrastructure projects that need to be completed. But they still have sometime. They are a little less than a year now.

And, of course, they have experience. It's the second time that South Korea has held the Olympics. It was back in 1988, here in Seoul, that the Summer Olympics were held, and so, now, South Korea gets a second chance to welcome the best athletes in the world to show off their best stuff. One year away.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Seoul.