IOC

30 January 2024 – A group of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Young Leaders are on-site at the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024. They are engaging with young athletes from around the world and the local youth to convey the positive impact that sport and physical activity can have on society.

When it comes to understanding how sport can change people’s lives, the IOC Young Leaders have seen it first-hand. The social projects that they have developed as part of the IOC Young Leaders programme are based on leveraging the power of sport to make a difference in their communities. Throughout Gangwon 2024, the Young Leaders are sharing their stories with the athletes, using their own projects as examples of the impact sport can have.

“The athletes are here to compete, they want to win; that’s their primary goal,” explains Indian Young Leader Rishav Bhowmik. “But if we can tell them that there’s more to sport, that there’s more they can achieve, even once they finish sport, or even outside of sport, I think that’s an important message. There are so many opportunities sport can provide, and there are so many lives we can impact through sport, so I think just spreading that message, and hopefully inspiring the next generation, is very important.”

“You can have a real impact in your community through sport”

The sport-led projects delivered by these inspiring young people in communities across the globe have helped address issues around education, equality and inclusion, health, peace building and sustainability, directly benefitting more than 37,000 people so far.

With the support of seed funding from the IOC and a network of mentors, the IOC Young Leaders Programme in partnership with Panasonic contributes to the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy which brings together aligned projects and initiatives that aimto strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in direct response to the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5. Since its launch in 2016, 166 initiatives have already been delivered.

“Hopefully we’ve managed to inspire some of them,” says Sophia Papamichalopoulos OLY, a Young Leader and Olympian from Cyprus. “When you tell them your story and tell them about your project, you can really see that they’re interested and that they feel something. It’s good to help them see that it’s not just about winning medals, that you can have a real impact in your community through sport.”

The positive response from the young athletes has also resonated with Malaysian Young Leader Tania Lee, who has enjoyed sharing the values of Olympism with the next generation.

“Seeing the athletes engaged and interested in what we’re doing has been great,” she says.

“It means a lot because that’s what we came here for – to share with them that sport is not just about competing and winning, but also about making friends and doing good for the community. Those moments are really something that I will remember and take home with me.”

It means a lot because that’s what we came here for – to share with them that sport is not just about competing and winning, but also about making friends and doing good for the community. Those moments are really something that I will remember and take home with me.

Tanie Lee – Malaysian Young Leader

Inspiring local youth through sport

With an important ambition of the YOG being to ensure that they inspire and empower your people in the Republic of Korea and beyond, the IOC Young Leaders have taken to the task. In addition to interacting with the athletes, they have also been engaging with local youngsters through a series of educational workshops delivered to students from the Gangwon region.

The workshops are made up of interactive elements based on the Olympic values, teamwork and collaboration, to inspire young people in the region to use sport as a tool for social change.

“It was really great to see the passion the students had for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024,” says Korean Young Leader Sang Eun Lee, who was instrumental in delivering the workshops on her home ground. “We are here to share our passion, but we appreciate the passion that we witness in return.”

With recent research by the IOC and Worldwide Olympic Partner Allianz revealing that less than 20 per cent of young people are physically active for five or more hours a week, the workshops also provided an opportunity for the Young Leaders to promote the benefits of sports participation with the Korean students.

“These children are so energetic and vibrant, and they have so many ideas, but maybe they don’t know yet about the things they can gain from sport,” explains Tania.

Sport can bring people together, create friendships, teach respect. We want to share that participating in sport can actually lead to all of these good things.

Sang Eun Lee – Korean Young Leader

The positive impact of sport and Olympism is being brought to young people and communities through a range of partners that the IOC is working with. In this case, the workshops are being supported by the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation as part of its engagement with local schools, with primary and secondary school students participating in a four-day programme that also involves visits to Gangwon 2024 competitions and participation in sport initiation activities.

IOC Young Leaders Programme contributing to Olympism 365 days a year

Launched in 2016, the IOC Young Leaders Programme empowers young people to leverage the power of sport to make a positive difference in their communities. The Programme contributes to Olympism365, the IOC’s approach to using sport as an important enabler of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and specifically to Olympism365’s Innovation portfolio that aims to identify, sustain and scale innovative sports-based approaches that deliver concrete impact in targeted communities.

So far, with the support of the IOC, these inspiring young people have delivered over 160 sport-led projects in communities across the globe, promoting education and livelihoods, equality and inclusion, health, peace building and sustainability, directly benefitting more than 37,000 people.

Learn more about the IOC Young Leaders Programme and the Olympism365 strategy.

Worldwide Olympic Partner Panasonic’s continued support

The IOC Young Leaders Programme has been supported by Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Panasonic since 2017, and this will continue through to 2024. Panasonic, as the programme’s founding partner, is committed to supporting the IOC Young Leaders through various initiatives, for example providing its creative and technological expertise, along with its network of influencers and ambassadors, to inspire the Young Leaders and equip them with the skills and tools they need to enhance their projects.

Find out more about Panasonic’s support for the programme and sign up for the “IOC Young Leaders in Action” newsletter to get the latest updates.