With 100 days to go until the start of the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, the “G(Game)-100” event was held at Seoul Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul, today (Nov. 11) afternoon to mark the start of the torch tour with the public’s desire for a successful event.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Kim Jin-tae, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Gangwon 2024 Co-Organizers Jin Jong-oh and Lee Sang-hwa, and Gangwon 2024 Ambassadors Kim Yeon-ah, Yoon Sung-bin, and Kim Ye-ri and Park Jae-min attended the ceremony to raise interest in the Games.
Continuing the legacy of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place from January 19-February 1 next year in PyeongChang, Gangneung, Jeongseon, and Hwaseong, Gangwon Province.
1,900 athletes from more than 80 countries around the world will compete in 15 sports across seven events.
They will also take the lead in promoting friendship and spreading the Olympic spirit through various cultural experiences and educational programs, which are core values of the Youth Olympic Games.
The highlight of the event was the promotion of the torch tour.
The flame was lit in Greece, the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games, on March 3 and arrived in South Korea on the 8th after traveling through Greece.
Yoon Sung-bin, a skeleton gold medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, along with five athletes, Park Ji-won (short track), Lee Jong-won (track and field), Yang Seung-joo (track and field), Yoon Seo-jin (figure skating), and Jae Jae-hwan (bobsleigh), marked the beginning of the torch tour to the nation.
Co-chairs Jin Jong-oh and Lee Sang-hwa transferred the flame from the torch lamp to the first torch baton, and each torchbearer passed the light of hope to the baton.
Ambassador Kim Yeon-ah then introduced the catchphrase “SHINE TOGETHER!”, which means “to introduce youth to the joy of sports and help them shine through growth.
After departing Seoul Plaza at the start of the ceremony, the flame of the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will travel for 80 days to major cities across the country, including Busan (October 14), Sejong (October 25), Jeju (October 28), and Gwangju (November 4), as well as 18 cities in Gangwon Province.
The nationwide relay will be followed by a special torch tour visiting underprivileged communities from December 29 until January 18, 2014, the day before the Games open.
“‘Gangwon 2024’ will be a platform for youth from all over the world to solidarize and cooperate for a better world,” said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon. “We will thoroughly prepare for the remaining period so that the 토토 Games will not only be a success, but also something that people around the world will remember and cheer for.
We ask for the attention and support of the entire nation 50 days before the Games, 10 days before the Games, and until the Opening Ceremony.”
Co-chairs Jin Jong-oh and Lee Sang-hwa promised to do everything in their power to make the Games a success, saying, “We will create an event where young people can fulfill their dreams and passions.”