Youth around the world “Unity rather than competition” heats up Gangwon in the middle of winter

Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics opens for the 4th time this year. Hosted for the first time in a non-European country, 1,802 participants from 78 countries, the largest number ever, are expected to challenge for medals from the ‘Pyeongchang Kids’

The ‘Pyeongchang Kids’, who grew up dreaming while watching the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics from the stands six years ago, will directly hit the ice and snow fields at the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, which opened on the 19th. Those who were elementary school students at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics have now grown into top-level athletes on the world stage. From the left, Shin Ji-ah and Kim Hyun-gyeom (figure skating) and Choi Ga-on and Lee Chae-un (snowboarding) are participating as members of the Korean national team in this competition.

The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, which continues the legacy of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, kicked off with the opening ceremony held at the Gangneung Speed ​​Skating Stadium on the 19th. This competition is the stage for those born between 2006 and 2009 (ages 15 to 18) who dreamed of becoming Olympians while watching the PyeongChang Olympics six years ago. The Winter Youth Olympics, held once every four years, is held for the fourth time this year and is the first to be held in a country outside of Europe.

The reason the opening ceremony was broadcast live not only in Gangneung but also in Pyeongchang Dome was to convey the meaning of continuing the legacy of Pyeongchang. At the opening ceremony, six participants of the 'Dream Program', which International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach boasted as "Pyeongchang's representative legacy," entered holding the Olympic flag. The Dream Program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is a program that provides opportunities to learn winter sports to youth in countries where it is difficult to access winter sports. This year, 134 people from 32 countries participated, of which 14 from 6 countries (Argentina, Mongolia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Nepal) will participate as athletes in this competition. Twenty-five athletes from nine countries (Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia, Singapore, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya, and Tunisia) who have developed their dreams through the Pyeongchang Memorial Foundation's winter sports athlete development project for underdeveloped and developing countries will also participate.

The significance of the torch relay from Pyeongchang to Gangwon was also emphasized. Seongbin Yoon (29), who won the first Olympic gold medal in sledding (skeleton) for Korea at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, entered the opening ceremony as the first runner, and Jeongmin Lee (18), who will compete in freestyle skiing at this event, lit the cauldron as the last runner.

1,802 youths from 78 countries will participate in this competition, the largest number ever. Korea has the largest number of players, 102, participating. Shin Ji-ah (16, Yeongdong Middle School), a 'figure skating prodigy' who watched the figure skating competition from the stands at the Gangneung Ice Arena during the Pyeongchang Olympics six years ago, will stand on the ice in person this time. Shin Ji-ah is attempting to win her second consecutive Korean women's singles title, following 2020 Lausanne champion Yoo Young (20). Kim Hyun-gyeom (18, Han Advertising), who developed his dream while watching Cha Jun-hwan (23) at the PyeongChang Olympics, will also challenge for the first Korean men's single medal at the Youth Olympics. Kim Hyun-gyeom also participated in the 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympics torch relay in Athens, Greece last year.

'K-Boarders' Lee Chae-woon (18, Surigo) and Choi Ga-on (16, Sehwa Girls' Middle School), who are aiming to win the snowboarding halfpipe at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics, are also in the spotlight at this competition. Choi Ga-on, who set a new record as the youngest person to win the X Games, the most prestigious snowboarding competition, last year at the age of 14 years and 2 months, has never missed first place in a halfpipe competition. Lee Chae-woon, who defeated his older brothers at last year's Snowboard World Championships and became the youngest ever winner (16 years, 10 months), swept all three freestyle snowboarding events (slopestyle, big air, and half pipe) in this competition against his younger brothers. Aim for Lee Chae-woon gave up participating in the X Games due to overlapping schedules in order to challenge for his triple gold medal. The two athletes are currently ranked first in the International Ski Federation (FIS) world rankings for men's and women's snowboard halfpipe. The youngest Korean player participating in this tournament is Jang Hyeon-jeong (14 years and 4 months) of women's ice hockey.

In the Youth Olympic Games, countries are not ranked overall according to the number of medals. This is to emphasize harmony and harmony rather than competition. The slogan of this competition is also ‘We shine when we are together.’ The competition continues for 14 days until the 1st of next month.


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