Figure Skating legend Yuna Kim thrilled Winter Youth Olympic Games is taking place in Gangwon

19^th January 2024 - South Korean figure skating legend Yuna Kim, a two-time Olympic medalist, has shared her excitement about the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games - the first time the Games have taken place in Asia.

Yuna Kim won gold at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, the first Olympic figure skating medal for South Korea, and followed it with a silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Now the Olympic star is an honorary ambassador of Gangwon 2024, and cannot wait to see young talent emerging on the ice, saying:

“I am very happy as it is being held in my country, the Republic of Korea. I am especially happy because Korean athletes have been performing well in various winter sports
recently, and I think it will be a great opportunity for them to become better athletes.”

Yuna Kim played an important part in the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, where she also had an ambassadorial role. Venues and infrastructure from the 2018 Winter Games are being utilized by Gangwon 2024 to host the world’s best young winter sport athletes.

“It has already been six years ago so it feels different and time flies very fast. At that time, I didn't know I would come back to Gangwon Province again for work related to winter sports, but I'm so excited to have an opportunity to be with the young athletes,” she added.

Yuna Kim was also an athlete ambassador for two other Winter Youth Olympic Games - Innsbruck 2012 and Lillehammer 2016 and shared some more wisdom for the competitors:

“The athletes may feel a lot of pressure or feel nervous. But it is a part of the process to become a great athlete in the future.”

Gangwon 2024 takes place from January 19 to February 1. The Winter Youth Olympic Games will be filmed for live television and digital streaming on Olympic Channel via https://olympics.com/ and the Olympics app, with full session replays and highlights.