19 January 2024 – Close to 50 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from all five continents, and six Olympic Winter Sports International Federations (IFs), have received funding of more than USD 2 million from the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Olympic Solidarity programmes to support their young athletes on the pathway to the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024.

The initiative was aimed at helping NOCs identify and train young athletes for youth competitions, with subsidies of up to USD 30,000 per NOC allocated so that the athletes, along with their coaches, could take part in qualifying events for Gangwon 2024.

IFs were assisted with funding for training camps to prepare athletes and coaches for the YOG, with most focused on supporting National Federations that usually have smaller delegations at the Olympic Winter Games.

Inspiring and educating young athletes through training camps

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) used its Olympic Solidarity grant to hold a series of summer and winter training camps to support young athletes from developing nations on their journeys to Gangwon. The camps allowed the young athletes to improve their skills under the supervision of experienced IBU coaches, with inspirational role models such as Anaïs Bescond also on hand to share their knowledge and experience as Olympic champions with the next generation of biathlon stars.

“It is really nice to be able to share my experiences with all the athletes,” said Bescond, the PyeongChang 2018 gold medallist, after attending an October 2022 camp in Antholz, Italy.

I think such camps really help the athletes to chase their dreams and to develop even further.

Anaïs Bescond PyeongChang 2018 gold medallist

Similarly, the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) used its Olympic Solidarity grant to fund three development camps for young athletes, held in Europe, North America and Asia. The camps included an education programme for the athletes and their coaches, featuring a wide range of workshops covering topics that are integral to an athlete’s life, such as performance improvement, mental health, career planning, anti-doping and safe sport. A total of 31 athletes, from 12 NOCs, who participated in the camps will now compete in Gangwon.

Luge camps led to Gangwon 2024 participation for two Thai athletes and first Irish luge athlete

With the support of Olympic Solidarity, the International Luge Federation (FIL) held three successful training camps to assist a group of athletes from Asia, Europe and Oceania in their efforts to qualify for the YOG, with many being relatively new to the sport.

“The new athletes who entered the sport thanks to these initiatives will help strengthen the sport of luge worldwide and provide the athletes of the future, not just for the YOG, but also for the Olympic Games themselves,” explained FIL Development Director Fred Zimny.

Among those to benefit were Thiraphat Sata and Sunita Chaiyapantho, who will now both represent Thailand at Gangwon 2024.

“Thailand has been a great success story in a relatively short period of time,” added Zimny. “Just 18 months ago, the FIL conducted a one-week summer training camp in Thailand to introduce luge to new potential luge athletes. About 20 youngsters took part, and I’m happy to say that two of the athletes from that camp qualified to participate in Gangwon 2024!”

This camp could not have happened without the generous support of the IOC through an Olympic Solidarity grant. The FIL is very thankful for their support and for giving athletes from around the world an opportunity to try luge. This experience could be life-changing for some, as one never knows what path an athlete will take after their first introduction to the sport of luge. Perhaps even to the Olympic Games

Einars Fogelis International Luge Federation president

Irish luger Lily Cooke joined the FIL training camp in Europe and will make history at Gangwon 2024 as Ireland’s first athlete to compete in luge at the Winter Youth Olympic Games. Cooke first took an interest in the sport of luge when she watched Irish Olympian Elsa Desmond – who later became her coach – competing at Beijing 2022. Cooke will compete in the women’s luge qualifying rounds on Saturday 20 January.

Young curlers inspired by Olympic rinks at Lillehammer camps

Building on the legacy of the Winter YOG Lillehammer 2016, the World Curling Federation (WCF) used the funding from Olympic Solidarity to organise several youth training camps in Lillehammer, Norway, which also hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1994.

Held in coordination with the Lillehammer Olympic Legacy Sports Centre (LOLSC) and the Norwegian Curling Association, the 2022 edition of the World Curling Academy Youth Training Camp saw athletes from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia and Romania develop their skills in Kristins Hall, which hosted the Olympic curling events in 1994 and 2016. In addition, two members of Norway’s 2020 YOG gold medal-winning curling team, Grunde Buraas and Lukas Hoestmælingen, shared their experiences from the Games.

Scott Arnold, the head of development at the WCF, found Lillehammer to be the perfect location for the training camp: “Not only have they previously hosted the Youth Olympic Games, they also had the curling arena and facilities to host a world-class camp for athletes from World Curling Federation developing nations.

We are very grateful for the International Olympic Committee’s guidance and the financial contributions to the camp through the Olympic Solidarity Programme

Scott Arnold Head of development at the WCF

Reflecting on his experience at the camp, Denmark’s Jacob Schmidt said: “It was well organised, and it was fun to meet people from all over the world. I learned about the importance of nutrition and how to make new friends. Curling-wise, I got to brush up on many skills I already had.”

Schmidt will now be able to put those skills to the test at Gangwon 2024, as one of the many athletes to have benefited from the support of Olympic Solidarity on their journey to the Winter YOG.