The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (President LEE Kee Heung, KSOC) will host the “Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (Gangwon 2024) Team Korea Ceremony” on January 9 (Tue), at the Seoul Olympic Parktel. MCST Vice Minister JANG Mi Ran will be in attendance to support Team Korea. More than 150 persons, including KSOC President LEE Kee Heung, as well as city and provincial athletic directors, officials, coaches, and athletes, will attend the ceremony.

Gangwon 2024 will host the fourth Winter Youth Olympic Games, as well as the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Asia. This event is notable as it is the second Olympic Games to be hosted in Gangwon State using the facilities from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. More than 2,950 athletes from over 80 countries will compete in 4 Gangwon cities and counties, including Gangneung, Pyeongchang, Jeongseon, and Hoengseong, from January 19 to February 1. It is a competition for young athletes (born between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2009), making it more of a sports festival where adolescents from across the world congregate and facilitate exchanges rather than merely competing for medals. In addition, no national rankings will be in place.

Korea is looking to win gold in snowboarding and skeleton, where the country has excelled in recent years, as well as in its traditional strengths on ice, with 153 athletes and coaches participating, the highest in the history of the Winter Youth Olympic Games. SHIN Jia, the next great thing in Korean women’s figure skating, and CHOI Ga-on, a snowboarder branded as a “genius” and seen as the future star of Korean winter sports, will both compete.

“Our athletes are excited to compete in the Games in Gangwon State, Korea. I hope that by interacting with youth from various countries and races through Gangwon 2024, they will learn the value of solidarity and empathy and create unforgettable memories,” Vice Minister JANG stated. “The MCST, in collaboration with the Gangwon 2024 Organizing Committee and Gangwon State, will make every effort to create a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable Olympic Games that young people will remember. We wish our participants a safe and injury-free competition in Gangwon 2024 and hope they achieve their goals.”