International Olympic Committee

17 January 2024 – IOC President Thomas Bach has been meeting the young winter sports stars about to compete in Gangwon 2024, the first Winter Youth Olympic Games hosted in Asia, which begin this Friday (January 19).

President Bach took a tour of the Youth Olympic Village at Gangneung-Wonju University where a record number of 1900 competitors will be based for a fortnight of action.

“I’m really very very impressed by the quality of the accommodation and what I’m hearing from the athletes,” said Mr Bach, “They’re all very happy and what is most important for athletes is good sleep and good food.”

The Games will be using many of the venues and facilities that hosted the action in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

President of the Organising Committee (YOGOC) Choi Jong-gu says everything is in place on the Youth Olympic Village for the competitors from 79 National Olympic Committees: “The facilities of game venues, residences where the athletes are staying, and food of the Olympic Village have been prepared as we planned.”

This is the fourth time the Winter Youth Olympics have taken place, and President Bach paid tribute the Games’ role in developing great Olympians on snow and ice:

“These Winter Youth Olympic Games have shown already in the past that they’re a great stepping stone to success in the Olympic Games. These young athletes are carrying this legacy on to the next generation of athletes so it’s a true success story”

The athletes will compete for 81 sets of medals in 15 disciplines across seven sports. Full details of the events in Gangwon 2024 can be found here.

The Winter Youth Olympic Games will be filmed for live television and digital streaming on Olympic Channel via https://olympics.com/ and the official Olympics app, with full session replays and highlights also available.

Gangwon 2024 takes place from January 19 to February 1.