Gangneung, Korea, February 1, 2024: The first Winter Youth Olympic Games to be held in Asia came to a close at Gangneung Olympic Park on Thursday evening.
Fittingly, the 35-minute closing ceremony - held outdoors by the Gangneung Hockey Centre - was accompanied by a snow fall as Gangwon 2024 said farewell to 1,800 athletes from 78 National Olympic Committees around the world.
IOC President Thomas Bach congratulated the athletes on their performances and thanked the organising committee, the Korean people, the volunteers and the various levels of government for the “brilliant success” of the YOG.
“Enjoy the party - and see you soon,” he told the athletes, referring to the Olympic Winter Games in 2026, as the formalities came to a quick conclusion.
The Executive President of the organising committee, Choi Jong-ku, said the athletes had demonstrated their excellence “passionately and skillfully” and said he hoped they had enjoyed their “precious time” in Korea.
“Let us all remember the wonderful experience here. We conclude the Games with the hope of bidding again in the future,” Choi said.
The digital flame, which had been burning for 14 days since the opening ceremony on January 19, was extinguished, signalling an end to Korea's hosting of the Winter YOG.
Earlier in the ceremony, Korean rapper Lee Young-Ji was joined on stage by the 1Million dance company to perform the inspirational song “Fire” and get the athletes in party mood with some modern Korean culture.
The closing ceremony was titled “Shine Again” – in line with the Gangwon 2024 motto “Grow Together, Shine Forever”.
As the IOC President explained earlier in the day, there is no host city for the next Winter YOG so there was no flag handover ceremony at the closing ceremony. The IOC hopes to make an announcement later this year or early next year.
