International Olympic Committee

22 January 2024 – The Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024 are continuing the strong gender-equality legacy of the YOG and are providing an equal platform for the young male and female athletes. There has been an equal distribution of quota places to male and female athletes: 50 per cent for women and 50 per cent for men. The numbers of women’s and men’s events are also equal. Here, we take a closer look at the innovations in Gangwon, with new women’s events and mixed events, as well as inspiring educational programmes for all athletes.

The YOG as a springboard to the Olympic Games

A total of 81 events in 7 sports and 15 disciplines are scheduled at the current YOG edition in the Republic of Korea, with 32 women’s and 32 men’s events, as well as 17 mixed events.

Following their debut at the YOG, certain new events will be going on to feature on the programme of the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 – in freestyle skiing, for example, where the men’s and women’s dual moguls events that are premiering at Gangwon 2024 will also be on the programme at Milano Cortina 2026.

Another innovation in Gangwon that will be adopted in Italy concerns cross-country skiing: for the first time, all cross-country skiing competition distances for men and women are aligned.

Gangwon 2024 will also introduce four new mixed events:

• a freestyle skiing mixed team dual moguls event
• a Nordic combined mixed team event
• a snowboard cross mixed team event
• a mixed relay in cross-country skiing, which is replacing the cross-country cross events.

The Athlete Education Programme is a key part of Gangwon 2024, giving all competing athletes the opportunity to engage in a wide range of activities and workshops that provide valuable life lessons both on and off the field of play. Alongside issues such as anti-doping, safe sport and sustainability, gender equality is a central topic, offering young athletes the chance to meet strong female role models and to learn how to break down barriers to pave the way to a more equal and inclusive society.

Be open-minded! Listen and learn, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!

Ailing (Eileen) Gu
Olympic and Youth Olympic freestyle skiing champion

China’s two-time Olympic and Youth Olympic freestyle skiing champion and record-holder Eileen Gu, the Global Ambassador for Gangwon 2024, has some motivating words for the young athletes in Gangwon. “Relish the experience,” she said. “Unlike the Olympics, the YOG only happen once in a young athlete’s career. It is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn from and connect with like-minded young people who share similar experiences, values and passions and who come from different backgrounds. Be open-minded! Listen and learn, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself!”

Gu, who competed at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020, where she won two golds and one silver, went on to say: “This event and the values it champions align perfectly with the message I hope to spread to young people worldwide: sport is for everyone, regardless of gender, age, ability, geographic location and religion.”