Gangwon, Korea, December 19, 2023: Ten additional highly experienced athletes have been announced as Athlete Role Models by the IOC for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024.
They join the 17 athletes already unveiled as ARMs and will play a key role as mentors for those competing in Gangwon. The ARMs will share the experience and knowledge they have gained from their own sporting careers.
The 10 new ARMs are:
Park Jong-ah (KOR, ice hockey)
Lee Young-jun (KOR, ice hockey)
Byun Chun-sa (KOR, short track speed skating)
Thibaut Fauconnet (FRA, short track speed skating)
Haralds Silovs (LAT, speed skating)
Brenden Kelly (CAN, freestyle skiing)
Jakob Spik (SLO, Alpine skiing)
Tess Critchlow (CAN, snowboarding)
Maxime Laheurte (FRA, Nordic combined)
Konstantin Schad (GER, snowboarding)
Olympic gold medallist Byun Chun-sa, who topped the podium at the Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006 as part of the Korean women’s 3,000m short track relay team, was among those to share her excitement at being able to advise a new generation of young talent.
“It’s an honour to be invited to Gangwon 2024 as an ARM,” she said. “I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with the young athletes and providing guidance to support their growth.”
The Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 will take place from 19 January to 1 February 2024, with approximately 1,900 athletes from 81 National Olympic Committees expected to take part.