Gangwon 2024 Organising Committee appoints two Olympic champions as Co-Presidents
Multiple Olympic gold medallists Sang-hwa Lee and Jong-oh Jin have been appointed Co-Presidents of the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (YOGOC) at the 21st General Committee meeting, held this week in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Eleven members of the Executive Committee, including Gangwon 2024 ambassador and figure skating legend Yuna Kim, were also appointed.
Sang-hwa Lee was the first Asian athlete to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in speed skating – at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. Jong-oh Jin was the first athlete to win three consecutive Olympic shooting events – at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. He is also a former Director of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
IOC Member and Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Gangwon 2024 Hong Zhang said: “I am delighted to welcome Jong-oh Jin and Sang-hwa Lee as Co-Presidents of the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. As Olympians, they will bring a wealth of experience to the service of Gangwon 2024 and the young athletes who will be competing in this edition of the YOG. Their knowledge will allow our Korean partners to deliver a best-in-class, youth-focused sporting event. I am looking forward to getting to work with them on this exiting project.”
The two new Co-Presidents expressed satisfaction and excitement at their appointment, and plan to use their experience as successful Olympians to provide the necessary leadership to successfully host the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024.
Commenting on their appointment in a video posted on Gangwon 2024’s social media channels, Sang-hwa Lee said: “The Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics are the initial platform for young people to step onto the world stage. I want to teach young athletes the fun of participating in competitions.”
Jong-oh Jin said: “For young people, these Youth Olympic Games are a great place to learn. They are a place where athletes without international experience can come together and compete on a worldwide level.” He continued: “This competition will provide a stage where the young athletes can be healthy and live their dreams.”
Gangwon 2024 honorary ambassador and Olympic figure skating champion Yuna Kim was appointed as one of the new members of the Executive Committee. She will also continue her activities to promote Gangwon 2024 as an ambassador.
The Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 will be held between 19 January and 1 February 2024, and will benefit from the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 by using some of the same facilities. Some 1,900 athletes from around 81 National Olympic Committees are expected to take part. The previous Winter YOG took place in January 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland.