In the article headlined "First digital torch lighting at a Winter Youth Olympics," the Chinese news site Xinhua on Jan. 20 covered the opening ceremony of the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon-do Province. (Screen capture from Xinhua's official website)
By Cao Thi Ha
The Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics (Gangwon 2024) in Gangwon-do Province is attracting foreign media coverage for the fifth day since its opening.
The Korean Culture and Information Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Jan. 24 said the competition received positive comments from global media even before its opening like "the first Winter Youth Olympics held by Asia" and "attracting the highest number of participants in the event's history." Praise also went to the opening ceremony, athletes and results.
In its article headline "First digital torch lighting at a Winter Youth Olympics," the Chinese news site Xinhua on Jan. 20 compared the digital torch at Gangwon 2024's opening ceremony to the digital convergence torch that was lit at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, saying, "There was a novelty that was different but similar."
Claro Sports, Mexico's largest sports channel, called the competition 10 days before its opening "the most digitized Winter Youth Olympics in history" and mentioned the tournament's use of a metaverse app for the first time in Olympic history.
Foreign media also covered athletes trained by New Horizons Academy. Run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Gangwon State, the province's government, and sponsored by the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation, the academy trains winter sports athletes from underdeveloped and developing economies.
The leading French daily Le Monde on Jan. 21 went into depth on the process of the Korean government's support for winter sports training.
In Thailand, leading media outlets on Jan. 22 featured Agnese Campeol, the first Thai to win a medal at a Winter Youth Olympics. She won the silver in the women's monobob (single-person bobsleigh).
The Nigerian daily Sun on Jan. 24 posted the article headlined "6 Nigerian athletes to compete in curling at Winter Youth Olympic Games." "Nigeria has not only broken new grounds for itself but also become the first African nation to qualify for the Winter Youth Olympics," it said, expressing hope for further development in winter sports.
Leading media in countries like Turkiye (Turkey) and Germany covered youth athletes with impressive feats at Gangwon 2024. Claro Sports hailed So Jaehwan of Korea for winning the gold in the men's monobob as the "first Asian athlete to conquer the sliding event."
In addition, the competition's organizing committee also gained attention for its swift response to heavy snowfall and cold waves and stable facility operations.
In its Jan. 18 article headlined "The Winter Youth Olympics' athletes' village in the words of Chinese athletes," Xinhua quoted one such athlete as saying, "The facilities are fully equipped and have a good feel."
In an interview with the German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung posted on Jan. 19, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said all of the athletes were satisfied with the facilities and food at the athletes' villages and that the competition would be an excellent cornerstone for the regular Olympics.
shinn11@korea.kr