Gangwon 2024 volunteers thanked by IOC President
The volunteers of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Gangwon 2024 will “shine forever in our memories and they will always have a special place in our hearts”. This is the message that International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach conveyed to all the 1,984 volunteers attending the YOG in the Republic of Korea.
“I hope you will stay close to the Olympic Movement in your future endeavours, so that our paths can cross again,” added President Bach, thanking them for welcoming all the participants.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you – the great Gangwon Shine Crew. Your boundless energy, your enthusiasm, your smiles and your kindness were heart-warming. The athletes felt this, all of us in the Olympic community felt this, and we are grateful to you for making our stay in Gangwon so special,
He went on: “Thank you for sharing your wonderful Korean culture and hospitality with us. Thank you for your great contribution to the success of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024.”
The volunteers played a crucial role in welcoming all the 1,801 athletes, in addition to the 20,000 accredited people attending Gangwon 2024 from around the world, including 627 media and 289 broadcast personnel.
They have been working in one of the four competition zones (PyeongChang, Gangneung, Jeongseon and Hoengseong) in very different areas: athletes support, media management, sports management, event/ceremony protocol and regional guidance.
A majority of them are female volunteers – 60.7% of the total number (1,984). The overall average age is 29.5 years, with the youngest volunteer being 16 and the oldest 80 years old.
Gangwon 2024 volunteers
The Gangwon Province local population rallied for the YOG, with 415 volunteers. One of them, Na Yun-yeong, who is volunteering for the Athlete Education Programme in the Youth Olympic Village in Gangneung, said: “I really hope people enjoy the city, because Gangneung is my city. “I was also a volunteer at PyeongChang 2018, and Gangwon 2024 has been so memorable, because I can meet athletes who compete in the sports or the people who support them.”
There is also an international presence among the group of volunteers, with 58 Olympic fans coming from abroad. Anh Nguyen, who is providing media operations support in the Gangneung Ice Arena, comes from Vietnam, and Gangwon 2024 was a chance for her to experience winter sports. “This is my first time being at an Olympic event, and especially at Winter Olympic Games, because in my country there is no winter. So I've seen a lot of things that have been magical to me, and I love how the home crowd is very passionate. All my team members are Koreans, and they treat me so well. I love how the friendships are built here.”