Seoul, Korea, March 26, 2023: The organising committee of the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea in 2024 celebrated 300 days to go with the announcement of five new Winter YOG Ambassadors at a ceremony in Seoul on March 24.
They include short track star Choi Min-jeong, who said: “My advice for young athletes is to believe in the preparation you have done and continue to carry on as you have been doing. By doing so, you will be able to overcome the pressure and perform well.”
Choi, 24, has won three gold and two silver medals at the Winter Olympics, including gold in the 1500m and 3000m relay at PyeongChang 2018, in the venue at Gangneung where the Winter YOG athletes will be competing next year.
Another ambassador is PyeongChang 2018 skeleton gold medallist Yun Sung-bin, who added: “I have fond memories from PyeongChang 2018. I was incredibly happy and honoured to have been part of it and to have ended it with such good result.
“Those memories are still vivid in my mind, and I believe they will remain as some of the best ones in my life. Having experienced the Olympic Games on home soil, I hope that, as an Ambassador, I can share my story and help young athletes understand what it’s like.”
The other three Ambassadors, who have also demonstrated outstanding performance in the fields of arts and sports, are ballerina Kim Joo-won, snowboard commentator and actor Park Jae-min and classical pianist Sunwoo Yekwon.
The 300 days-to-go event provided the perfect opportunity for the new Gangwon 2024 Co-Presidents to make their first global public appearance in connection with the Games. Multiple Olympic gold medallist Lee Sang-hwa and Jin Jong-oh were appointed as Co-Presidents of the Gangwon 2024 YOGOC at the Organising Committee’s 21st General Committee meeting in February.
The Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 will be held between 19 January and 1 February 2024, and will benefit from the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 by using some of the same facilities. Some 1,900 athletes from around 81 National Olympic Committees are expected to take part.