GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will officially open on Friday, and as the first Winter Youth Olympics to be held in Asia, there are five important keywords to know.
1. K-pop
The Opening Ceremony of the Gangwon 2024 is set to take place simultaneously in the Gangneung Oval and the PyeongChang Dome. For the spectators, it is not only a sports event but also a music festival.
According to the line-up unveiled last Saturday, the main stage at the Gangneung Oval will feature newly formed bands LUN8 and Triple S. At the same time, K-pop artists including Taeyeon, Hwasa and BewhY will perform at the PyeongChang Dome.
The opening ceremony will be centered around the theme of "The Universe,” symbolizing the infinite possibilities of youth.
2. Innovation
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) posture of the Youth Olympics and Winter Youth Olympics as incubators for innovation has been widely accepted and adopted within the Olympic Movement, and the new events and rules at the Gangwon 2024 might be a bellwether for the Olympic Games.
There will be no mixed National Olympic Committee (NOC) events in Gangwon, which will be replaced with equal events of the same or similar format featuring teams of athletes from the same NOCs.
Two new 1,500m short track events will also be introduced, as well as a new mixed-gender relay to replace the mixed NOC relay in cross-country. In addition, a mixed team Nordic combined competition will make its debut.
3. Metaverse
For the first time ever at a Youth Olympic Games, Gangwon 2024 will launch the metaverse experience for spectators.
According to the organizer, users from all over the world will be able to compete against one another in online sports like ski jumping, bobsleigh, and curling in the virtual world.
Meanwhile, the Gangneung Green City Experience Centre will host a "Metaverse Experience," allowing guests to virtually experience some of the winter sports through simulators, visual panels, and virtual reality kits.
4. Rising stars
The Winter Youth Olympic Games was widely seen as the "launching pad" for winter sports icons.
Some rising stars are ready to capture the world's attention at Gangwon 2024, including home skater Shin Ji-a, American alpine skier Annika Hunt and New Zealand's snowboarder Lucia Georgalli.
5. Free tickets
One very good news for fans is that all games are free except for the opening ceremony in Gangneung Oval.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee Choi Jong-gu announced on Thursday that as of Wednesday, more than 350,000 tickets had been reserved.
By discipline, Ice Hockey (84,825) and Curling (60,527), which have a high number of games, recorded the highest ticket bookings. In the case of games on snow with relatively fewer spectator seats, ticket reservations have been completed in the following: Biathlon (11,106), Luge (4,315), Bobsleigh (2,906), Skeleton (2,493). ■
