Luge at Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024: Preview, schedule, how to watch live action

Known as “the fastest sliding sport”, luge will be an exciting event to watch at the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024.

Athletes will navigate through ice-clad curves, while having to deal with the pressure up to give G-force. The calculated maximum speed must not excced 120km/h.

Competitions take place in singles for women and men, doubles for men's pairs and women's pairs, and an exciting team relay finale featuring the top singles male, singles female, and team from each NOC.

Given the speed of the sled, times are recorded in milliseconds and the cumulative record from all attempts decides the standings.

Germany lead the way in luge at the Winter Youth Olympic Games with nine medals overall, followed by Italy, Austria, and Latvia with three medals each.

Below, we take a look at the athletes to watch out for, a full schedule, and how to watch the luge action live on Olympic Channel via. Olympics.com and our app.

Which countries have qualified for luge at Gangwon 2024?

• Men's singles: Austria (two), Bulgaria, Canada, People's Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, Czechia, Georgia, Germany (two), Italy (two), Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Ukraine, USA
• Men's doubles: Austria, Czechia, Georgia, Germany (two), Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Republic of Korea, Ukraine (two), USA
• Women's singles: Austria (two), Canada (two), People's Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, France, Germany (two), Great Britain, Ireland, Italy (two), Latvia (two), New Zealand, Poland (two), Puerto Rico, Romania (two), Slovakia, Republic of Korea (two), Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine (two), USA (two)
• Women's doubles: Austria (two), Germany (two), Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, USA

Luge venue location and dates at Gangwon 2024

From 20-23 January 2024, athletes will compete on the Alpensia Sliding Centre track, which also hosted the event at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Luge: Athletes to watch out for at Gangwon 2024

On the men’s side, keep an eye out for Silas Sartor, and Hannes Röder, the first and second-ranked lugers of the Youth Continental Series last year.

Italy will also pose a threat through Leon Haselreider and Manuel Weissensteiner.

Showcasing the sport's diversity, circus-trained athlete Mees van Buren is the Netherlands’ only luge athlete, while Thiraphat Sata is breaking new ground for Thailand.

On the women’s side it’s another German who is favoured to win gold in Melina Hansch, while Italy's Sofie Kofler is another athlete to keep an eye on.

Again, showing the sport’s diversity, Isabela Aponte will be competing for Puerto Rico, Sunita Chaiyapantho - a former roller skier - for Thailand, and Lily Cooke is breaking new ground for Ireland in the sport.

Full luge schedule at Gangwon 2024

All times are Korea Standard Time (UTC/GMT +9 hours) and are subject to change

Saturday, 20 January

• 8:30-10:30 - Women’s singles
• 11:00-12:55 - Men’s doubles

Sunday, 21 January

• 8:30-10:30 - Men’s singles
• 11:00-12:55 - Women’s doubles

Tuesday, 23 January

• 10:30-11:45 - Team relay

How to watch luge at Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games

Action from all 13 competition days at Gangwon 2024, including the 11 days featuring ice hockey matches, will be streamed live on Olympics.com with dedicated feeds, as well as on the official Olympics app for mobile devices.

You can also watch full replays on demand on Olympics.com and catch highlights across the official Olympics social media accounts.