Gangneung, Korea, February 1, 2024: The Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 attracted half a million people to the sports events and fan festivals, the organising committee announced on Thursday.
In the final daily briefing at the Main Media Centre before the closing ceremony, the organising committee announced that, as of January 31, 270,000 spectators had attended the YOG competitions and a further 230,000 people had visited cultural events such as festival sites and cultural performances.
“This brings the total number of spectators participating in this competition to 500,000. This significantly surpassed the initial goal of 250,000,” the organising committee said.
“During the four-day figure skating competition held from January 27, over 12,000 people attended the venue each day. Even in less popular sports like ice hockey and curling, spectators increased significantly as the athletes showed impressive performances,” the statement added.
“The size of the crowds is one of the strongest indicators of the success of this Youth Olympic Games.”
The organisers announced that the total budget for the Winter YOG was 96.7 billion Korean Won, representing only 3.5 per cent of the budget for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, while the organising committee secretariat totalled 175, only 14.6 per cent of the 1,198 personnel from PyeongChang 2018.
In total, 1,800 athletes from 78 National Olympic Committees participated at Gangwon 2024, competing for 81 medals in four cities: Gangneung, PyeongChang, Hoengseong and Jeongseon.
“This Youth Olympics had participation not only from African nations such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa but also from Middle Eastern countries including Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Despite ongoing conflicts, 44 athletes from Ukraine also competed.
“Even nations without snow like the Philippines and Thailand participated, making it truly a global sporting event.”
In terms of security, 1,900 safety personnel were deployed, including 977 police officers, 537 firefighters and 400 private security personnel. In addition, 276 were involved in driving the buses and traffic management.
For accommodation, 2,600 athletes and staff stayed in five buildings at Gangneung-Wonju National University dormitories, while 350 people were accommodated in two buildings at the Jeongseon High1 Mountain Condominium.
“The heroes behind the scenes of this YOG are the 1,984 volunteers,” the statement added.
“Volunteers provided dedicated support in outdoor venues such as snow events, parking areas surrounding the venues and within the bustling venues filled with spectators.”
Based on registration, 521 broadcasters, including the Olympic Broadcasting Service, the IOC's broadcasting service, and 429 local and international media participated.