Curlers from Brazil pose for photos during their training session for the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics at Gangneung Curling Centre in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Jan. 18, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — From Jamaican bobsledders to Kenyan alpine skiers, more than two dozen athletes from countries with little winter sports tradition will compete at the Winter Youth Olympics in eastern South Korea beginning Friday, thanks to training opportunities provided by the host country.
The PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation said Friday that 25 athletes from nine such countries will participate in the two-week youth competition held across Gangwon Province.
They are alumni of the foundation’s program to develop winter sports athletes in places not traditionally known for winter sports. The nine countries are Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia, Singapore, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya and Tunisia.
This photo provided by the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation on Jan. 18, 2024, shows athletes from non-traditional winter sports countries participating in the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics in South Korea. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
These athletes will compete in bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, short track speed skating, alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.
The foundation was formed on the heels of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, to help build on the legacy of the first Winter Games held in South Korea and to develop winter sports in different corners of the world.
The athletes from the nine countries attended a monthlong training camp in Pyeongchang from July to August 2023 to improve their conditioning and strength.
This Jan. 18, 2024, photo shows the Olympic Rings inside the Gangneung Olympic Park in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on the eve of the opening ceremony for the Gangneung Winter Youth Olympics. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Then from October to December last year, they competed at seven international events in order to qualify for Gangwon 2024. In all, 25 out of 31 athletes who attended the camp earned their tickets to the Winter Youth Olympics.
Tunisia, in particular, will be making its Winter Olympics debut, senior or youth. It will send three athletes: Jonathan Lourimi, Beya Mokrani and Sophie Ghorbal in bobsleigh.
(Yonhap)
