Gangwon, Korea, January 20, 2025: The International Olympic Committee has marked the one-year anniversary of the successful Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea.
Gangwon 2024 opened on January 19 and ran until February 1. It was the first Winter YOG to be held in Asia and highlighted outstanding athletic performances, the remarkable dedication of volunteers and the engagement of young people in sport.
K-pop performances played a prominent role in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of Gangwon 2024, as well as the Let’s Play Winter Festival, showcasing Korean culture both domestically and internationally.
The Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 brought together over 1,800 talented young athletes representing 78 National Olympic Committees (NOCs). Featuring seven sports and 15 disciplines, the event attracted some 270,000 spectators across nine venues.
Taking advantage of the winter sports legacy created by PyeongChang 2018, the organisers made use of seven out of 12 venues from the Olympic Winter Games. The YOG were widely enjoyed by local fans, as reflected in a survey where 86% rated their experience an 8 or higher out of 10.
Gangwon 2024 not only excelled on-site, but also set new standards for digital engagement. It surpassed previous YOG records on the Olympics' digital platforms, attracting over 810,000 online users and amassing 323 million engagements across the official @Olympics channels.
To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the YOG Gangwon 2024 and celebrate their successful hosting, Gangwon Province organised a special “Homecoming Day” event for its volunteer community. The celebration featured a variety of activities, including sports and cultural events, discussions with Olympic medallists and live concerts.
Gangwon 2024 was also marked by the dedication of its volunteer community. A total of 1,984 volunteers contributed to the Games across various zones, including event and ceremony protocol, athlete support, sports management, media coordination and regional guidance. These volunteers gained invaluable experience in organising a major sporting event, while enjoying the opportunity to witness spectacular performances firsthand.
The IOC President, Thomas Bach, expressed his gratitude to the "Gangwon Shine Crew" for their remarkable efforts in a video message to Gangwon 2024 volunteers.
Building on the legacy of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games, the PyeongChang Legacy Foundation (PLF) drove a variety of initiatives to inspire athletes and young people from around the world to engage in winter sports.
These efforts led to impressive results, with 39 participants of PLF projects qualifying for the Winter YOG, two of whom, from developing winter nations, went on to win medals at Gangwon 2024: Agnese Campeol (Thailand) won a silver medal in women’s monobob and Jonathan Lourimi (Tunisia) took home a silver in men’s monobob.
