24 January 2024 – Hosted by the Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee in collaboration with Alibaba Cloud, the hackathon was open to young individuals living in Korea. The competition culminated in the announcement of several winner, notably two individuals: Park Seohyun, the adult winner, and Lee Yunju, the youth winner, who stood out with their contributions.

The winning projects showcased remarkable creativity and addressed real-world challenges. Park Seohyun’s game addressed the issue of inter-floor noise problems, aiming to raise awareness about common noise-inducing behaviours and encourage players to minimise noise while achieving success. Lee Yujun’s game focused on the artwork inspired by the look and feel of Gangwon 2024.

The Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 Alibaba Cloud Hackathon challenged young tech enthusiasts to unleash their creativity. Participants were tasked with creating a web-based metaverse application that addressed real-world challenges while incorporating the brand elements of Gangwon 2024 and Alibaba Cloud. The hackathon, aligned with the Gangwon 2024 theme “Grow Together, Shine Forever”, also encouraged participants to incorporate the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect, fostering a spirit of innovation and collaboration.

Gangwon 2024 is about using sport to bring together talented young people from around the world. Our ongoing partnership with Alibaba Cloud enables us to continue exploring creative ways to engage with our worldwide audience and sports fans, while enhancing operational efficiency using the latest proven cloud technologies.

Anne-Sophie Voumard Managing Director of IOC Television & Marketing Services

As part of the hackathon, the winners were recognised by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT; the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Gangwon Province; Alibaba Cloud; and Gangwon 2024. Selina Yuan, President of International Business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, said: “We are thrilled to support the hackathon with our cloud service and technologies.”

The winners’ certificates were co-signed and presented by Ilario Corna, the International Olympic Committee’s Chief Information and Technology Officer, and Ms Yuan from Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, reinforcing both organisations’ status as innovators in the intersection of technology and sport. The success of the hackathon demonstrated the potential of young minds in shaping the future of sport and technology.