By Charles Audouin

Eileen Gu, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in skiing, will promote next year's Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon-do Province (Gangwon 2024).

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Nov. 30 said it appointed Gu, who won golds at last year's Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, and the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in 2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a global ambassador for Gangwon 2024.

Born to an American father and a Chinese mother, Gu started skiing at age 3 and joined the Chinese national team in 2019.

She rose to stardom after winning two golds in freestyle skiing -- big air and halfpipe -- and the silver in slopestyle at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics. In the Winter Olympics last year, she won the big air and halfpipe events and the silver in slopestyle.

Gu said, "It is an honor to be named Global Ambassador for the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024, as this event and the values it champions align perfectly with the message I hope to spread to young people worldwide: sport is for everyone, regardless of gender, age, ability, geographic location and religion."

She also gave advice to those participating in Gangwon 2024, saying, "It is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn from and connect with like-minded young people who share similar experiences, values and passions (and) come from different backgrounds."

"Welcome back to the Youth Olympic Games, Eileen. This is where it all started for you," IOC President Thomas Bach said. "Her role as a Global Ambassador for the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 will undoubtedly have a profound impact on aspiring young athletes and will help to further spread the Olympic spirit around the world.”

As the first Youth Winter Olympics held in Asia, Gangwon 2024 will run from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1 in and around Gangneung and the counties of Pyeongchang-gun, Jeongseon-gun and Hoengseong-gun. An estimated 1,900 young athletes ages 15-18 from about 70 countries will compete in 15 events.

caudouin@korea.kr