GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games continued a legacy of gender equality by offering an equal platform to both young male and female athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday.
Quota places were equally distributed to male and female athletes, while the numbers of women's and men's events were also equal.
The fourth Winter Youth Olympics, scheduled from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, featured seven sports, 15 disciplines and 81 events, which composed of 32 women's and 32 men's events in addition to 17 mixed events.
Gangwon 2024 introduced four new mixed events: a freestyle skiing mixed team dual moguls event, a Nordic combined mixed team event, a snowboard cross mixed team event, and a mixed relay in cross-country skiing.
Through a wide range of activities and workshops belonging to the Athlete Education Program, young athletes will be given an opportunity to receive valuable life lessons both on and off the field of play, the IOC said.
Alongside issues such as anti-doping, safe sport and sustainability, gender equality is a central topic of the program, it added. ■
