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2023 Winter Youth Olympics, Gangwon
The Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are just around the corner, and the UK is sending a strong team of young skiers to compete in the thrilling events. If you're a family that loves skiing and you're looking for some inspiration, be sure to follow the GB team as they take on the world's best young athletes.
What are the Winter Youth Olympic Games?
The Winter Youth Olympic Games are a major international sporting event for young athletes aged 15 to 18. They are held every four years, just before the Winter Olympics. The first Winter YOG were held in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012.
Where are the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics?
The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, officially known as the IV Winter Youth Olympic Games and commonly known as Gangwon 2024, will be held in Gangwon Province, South Korea, from January 19 to February 1, 2024. This marks the first time the Winter Youth Olympics will be held in Asia.
Gangwon Province is located in the eastern part of South Korea and is known for its stunning natural beauty, including snow-capped mountains and pristine lakes. The province is also home to a number of world-class winter sports facilities, which will be used for the Games.
Gangwon 2024 Venues
The Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics are more than just a sporting event. They are also a celebration of youth and a platform for promoting the Olympic values of peace, unity, and respect. The Games aim to inspire young people to take up winter sports and to develop their leadership skills.
The majority of events will be held in Gangneung City and Pyeongchang County, which previously hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics. These venues include:
- Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre
- Gangneung Oval
- Gangneung Curling Centre
- Gangneung Ice Arena
- Jeongseon Alpine Centre
- Jeongseon Nordic Centre
In addition to these main venues, two standalone venues will be used for the Games:
- Hoengseong Welli Hilli Park Ski Resort: Snowboarding big air
- Jeongseon High 1 Ski Resort: Alpine skiing
What events will the GB team compete in?
Over 1,900 athletes from 79 nations are expected to compete at the Games, aged between 15 and 18. A total of 15 winter sports will be contested at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, including:
- Alpine skiing
- Biathlon
- Bobsleigh
- Curling
- Figure skating
- Freeski
- Ice hockey
- Luge
- Nordic combined
- Short track speed skating
- Snowboarding
- Speed skating
- Skeleton
The GB team will be competing in a number of events, including:
- Alpine Skiing
Molly Butler – aged 17 from Guildford
Zak Carrick-Smith – aged 16 based in Albertville, France
- Biathlon
Graham Benson – aged 17, based in Whistler, Canada
Josie Clifford – aged 17, based in Squamish, Canada
Tom Smith – aged 17, based in Le Bourg d'Oisans, France
- Bobsleigh
Lennon Smith – aged 17 from Middlesborough
- Cross-Country
Elspeth Cruickshank – aged 16 from Aberdeen
Thomas Duncan – aged 15 from Stavanger
Sophie Forth – aged 16 from Harlow
- Curling
Ethan Brewster – aged 16 from Aberdeen; Holly Burke – aged 16 from Wishaw; Logan Carson – aged 16 from Dumfries; Archie Hyslop – aged 16 from Dumfries; Tia Laurie – aged 16 from Dumfries; Callie Soutar – aged 15 from Forfar
- Figure Skating
Tao MacRae – aged 17 from Westminster
Atl Ongay-Perez – aged 16 from Tooting
Ashlie Slatter – aged 14 from Croydon
- Freestyle Skiing
Charlie Cooper – aged 16 from Westminster
Jake Dade – aged 17 from Great Yarmouth
Axel Rose Green – aged 17 from Cambridge
- Ice Hockey
Leilo Bellamy – aged 15 from Welwyn Garden City; Jonas Bennett – aged 14 from Sheffield; Sam Ellis – aged 15 from Swindon; Robbie Henderson – aged 15 from Wishaw; Ethan Lock – aged 15 from Cardiff; Kingston McKenzie – aged 14 from Nottingham; Joel Meyers – aged 15 from Nottingham; Sam Miller – aged 15 from Oxford; Ricards Misins – aged 15 from Newham; Joshua Seeback – aged 14 from Guildford; Daragh Spawforth – aged 15 from Pontefract; Harry Vant – aged 15 from Chelmsford; Tiago Worsfold – aged 14 based in Salvador
- Luge
Kaia Hatton – aged 14 based in Vancouver, Canada
- Short Track Speed Skating
Willem Murray – aged 16 from Nottingham
Freddie Polak – aged 17 from Nottingham
- Snowboarding
Teiva Hamaini – aged 16, based in Sierra Nevada, Spain
Siddhartha Ullah – aged 17, based in Los Angeles, USA
La Plagne at the Youth Winter Olympics
As a mum living and working in La Plagne, I'm thrilled to see five of our local young champions represent France at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwong, South Korea.
These five athletes, who have been honing their skills on the slopes of La Plagne since they were toddlers, embody the spirit of our community: passionate, determined, and brimming with talent.
- Ivan Boteff Wallace, a 16-year-old bobsleigh prodigy, will be taking on the thrilling challenge of monobob.
- Thiméa Ginet, a 14-year-old luge enthusiast, will be gliding down the icy tracks with grace and precision.
- Our homegrown ski and snowboarding stars, Timothé Roch, Léontine Curdy, and Romain Allemagne, will be showcasing their skills in freestyle skiing, downhill skiing, and snowboarding, respectively.
It's heartwarming to see these young athletes, some of which have gown up together since they were in the La Plagne nursery! And as someone with kids who went to that same nursery and are now members of the La Plagne Club de Sport, I’ll be glued to the TV!
How can I follow the YOG events?
There are a number of ways to follow the GB team and the La Plagne or French team at the Winter YOG:
- Watch the events live: You can watch all of the events live on Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.
- Follow the team on social media: The GB team has an Instagram account where they will be sharing updates and photos from the Games.
- Read the news: There will be plenty of coverage of the Winter YOG in the UK media.
That’s La Plagne Cheering on our kids at the youth Olympics!
I hope this blog article has inspired you to follow the GB team at the Winter YOG. These young athletes are sure to put on a great show, and I'm excited to see them compete for medals. Let's all get behind the GB team (and out La Plagne athletes!) and cheer them on to victory!
To read more about the Olympics, check out these articles:
