Photo by John Tully for NPR

With the opening ceremony tomorrow, the Winter Olympics begins in Pyeongchang, South Korea amidst allegations of doping, corruption and growing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. NPR will have five journalists in South Korea documenting the Games, and you'll hear their coverage over the next few weeks on the air and online.

NPR's South Korea-based correspondent Elise Hu is already providing the latest news on preparation for the Games, including the politics involved, infrastructure, lagging ticket sales and local anticipation. Bill Chappell will be in Pyeongchang writing digital stories, along with veteran sports correspondent Tom Goldman and special correspondent Melissa Block. NPR is posting all coverage to its Olympic blog, The Torch:

The Torch

The Monument of Discoveries in Lisbon, Portugal, featuring the inventor of race.

In the ancient world there was no notion of race, according to historians. In this one-hour special, host and reporter John Biewen tells how the construct of race came to be, and it's a story that names names: the Portuguese writer who invented blackness, and therefore whiteness, in the 1450s; the enlightenment scientist who coined the word "caucasian"; the black runaway indentured servant in 17th century Virginia whose capture marked the first official sanctioning of slavery in colonial America.  Tune in for The Invention of Race, Sunday, Feb. 11 at 12 noon.

More

Some experiences stick with you. They cry out for reflection, for the transfigurative potential of an artistic response. That was the case for drummer and bandleader Mike Reed, after his harrowing encounter with white supremacists in 2009. He recounts that flare of racial tension -- which hasn't lost any of its relevance in the years since -- for Jazz Night In America. Watch his short video and more in the Jazz Night archives (Note - language advisory):

Jazz Night videos