Introduction
The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, officially known as the IV Winter Youth Olympic Games, were held in Gangwon Province, South Korea, from January 19 to February 1, 2024. The event was the first Winter Youth Olympics held in Asia, building on the Olympic Games legacy to engage more young people through various activities. Participating athletes competed in 15 sports and 81 events, with 1,900 athletes from around the world taking part.
The make-up of the sports games in the Youth Olympic Games(YOG) is mainly set according to the Olympic Games. It includes various thrilling games such as sport climbing, 3-x-3 basketball, breaking, 3-x-3 ice hockey, and mixed gender and mixed National Olympic Committee (NOC) events. This year, a new sports event appeared, the 1,500m individual events in short-track speed skating and mixed NOC events were canceled.
The goal of Gangwon 2024 was to use sport as a platform for young people to celebrate togetherness and peaceful coexistence in order to build a brighter future for everybody. The event featured a unique Culture and Education Program (CEP) with five main themes: Olympism, Social Responsibility, Skills Development, Expression, and Well-being and Healthy Lifestyles.
Winter Youth Olympics Highlights
Medal-Winning Moments
Women’s & Men’s 1500m | Short Track Speed Skating
This is the first time that short-track speed skating has hosted a 1500-meter individual event, which means that those taking part in this competition have not had time to prepare. It started on January 20, 2024, many excellent players joined in. After fierce racing, Chinese young player Jingru Yang clinched the title. The silver medal also belonged to a Chinese athlete, Jinzi Li. Japanese athlete Nonomi Inoue acquired the bronze medal.
As for the men’s final, Jaehee Joo, the player from the host nation, won the gold medal while Xinzhe Zhang and Yousung Kim acquired the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Women’s & Men’s Halfpipe | Snowboard
The date of this occurrence was January 02, 2024. Many players show their best aspect in this event. Sara Shimizu (JPN), Rise Kudo (JPN), and Lura Wick (SUI) brought their medals home, which were silver, bronze, and gold, respectively, in the women’s final. For the men’s event, winners were Ryusei Yamada (JPN), Alessandro Barbieri (USA), and Chaeun Lee (KOR), who got the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
Men’s 6-Team Gold Medal Game CZE – USA | Ice Hockey
The American team won medals in abundance this year. It successfully defeated Czechia 4-0 on January 31, 2024, at the men’s 6-team Ice Hockey gold medal game, which was the third medal of them. Czechia’sperformance was was also a big step for them due to them taking home the silver medal.
Freeski Big Air Event
For the men’s event, Charlie Beatty claimed the gold medal marking Canada’s first gold medal in 2024. This young skier just won the Jr World Championships gold medal last year. One of his dreams is to show at the Winter Olympics in 2026. Let’s look forward to his performance in the future together.
Flora Tabanelli won the women’s freestyle skiing gold at YOG, marking her second title in this event. One of Italy’s best prospects for the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, Flora Tabanelli is set to be the emerging talent in the field of skiing.
The Slopestyle Crown
The new star Flora Tabanelli, from Italy, has clinched her second title at the slopestyle crown in the 2024 YOG. Another medal this year is the gold medal of Freeski Big Air just mentioned above. It’s a real slam dunk for her.
It is a pity that Charlie Beatty missed out on a medal after making a few minor mistakes in this event but he said he felt honored to have once stood on the podium.
Lasting Impact of the Games
Conclusion
The 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games highlighted the talents of young athletes globally and were truly memorable. It created unforgettable memories this winter and showcased many talented young athletes.
