Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon (center) poses for a photo in front of a hill at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre in Pyeongchang-gun County, Gangwon-do Province. (Heo Man-jin from Ministry of Culture, Sports)

By Yoon Seungjin

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In Chon on Oct. 18 said ahead of next year's Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon-do Province (Gangwon 2024), "We will strive to provide a flawless environment for athletes from abroad, using our know-how from hosting the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics."

He said this after visiting major venues of Gangwon 2024 in the province's Pyeongchang-gun County and Gangneung to inspect preparations there.

Minister Yu inspected Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre in Pyeongchang-gun and Gangneung Oval and Gangneung Hockey Centre at Gangneung Olympic Park. All of these venues used in PyeongChang 2018 will be handed over from the provincial government Gangwon State to the competition's organizing committee at the end of this month after maintenance and repair are completed.

Moving to Gangneung-Wonju National University's Gangneung campus, which will be used as the athletes village, the minister checked if the facility was convenient for athletes. Both the university and Jeongseon High1 Resort will house athletes to remove the need for new construction and ensure eco-friendly operations.

"Over the remaining 90 days, we will work as a team with the organizing committee, Gangwon State, host cities and related organizations to thoroughly inspect and prepare every small detail for a successful hosting of the competition," he added.

As the first Winter Youth Olympic Games held in Asia, Gangwon 2024 will run from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1 in Gangneung and the counties of Pyeongchang-gun, Jeongseon-gun and Hwaseong-gun.

scf2979@korea.kr