At the closing conference, “A successful competition Using Pyeongchang’s heritage to present a special solidarity.”
IOC President Bach holding a press conference
On the 1st, the closing day of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, IOC President Thomas Bach is holding a press conference to conclude the Games at the Main Media Center.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Chairman Thomas Bach, who has built a friendly image by making finger hearts and taking casual selfies every time he comes to Korea, is calling the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics (hereinafter referred to as Gangwon 2024) a successful event. He evaluated it and left a message of thanks and congratulations to Gangwon Province and the competition organizing committee.
Chairman Bach held a closing press conference with reporters at the Main Media Center (MMC) set up at the Gangneung Green City Experience Center ahead of the Gangwon 2024 Closing Ceremony and said, “This is a competition that makes good use of the legacy of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics,” and “6 years ago, “I was very moved by the youth athletes playing in the facility where the Olympics were held,” he said.
Chairman Bach and Coordination Committee Chairman Zhang Hong holding a press conference
On the 1st, the closing day of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, IOC President Thomas Bach and Coordination Committee Chairman Jang Hong are holding a press conference to conclude the Games at the Main Media Center.
In particular, in the bobsled monobob (single-man), Tunisian and Thai athletes, who grew into Winter Olympic athletes through the Dream Program, Pyeongchang’s ‘soft legacy’, won men’s and women’s silver medals, respectively, and Chairman Bach said, “The Pyeongchang Olympics opened a ‘new horizon.’ “Thanks to this, 14 people who went through the Dream Program participated in Gangwon 2024, providing special solidarity to the whole world,” he said.
The Dream Program began in 2004 as a pledge to host the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, hosted by the 2018 Pyeongchang Memorial Foundation and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
Many of the athletes who participated in the project, which was designed to provide experience and training programs such as skiing and skating to youth in developing countries who have difficulty accessing winter sports and to promote cultural exchange and global friendship through sports, grew up to be gifted winter sports in each country.
Chairman Bach also said, “In order to make this event a success, the IOC also provided the Gangwon 2024 Organizing Committee with $37 million (approximately 493 “(hundreds of millions of won) was provided,” he said.
He continued, “As of the 28th of last month, 30% of Koreans watched Gangwon 2024 on TV, and 75% were aware of Gangwon 2024.” He added, “Millions of people in the United States also watched the Olympics on NBC and mentioned Gangwon 2024 on social platforms. “It showed amazing results,” he said.
Chairman Bach added that the number of times Gangwon 2024 is mentioned on social platforms such as social networking services (SNS) is 250 million, which is unprecedented for a youth Olympics.
Chairman Bach said he would actively utilize the broadcasting technology and new platform tested at Gangwon 2024 for the Paris Summer Olympics in July. 19가이드03