S. Korean Shin Ji-a captures women's figure skating silver at Winter Youth Olympics

South Korean teenager Shin Ji-a won the silver medal in the women's singles figure skating at the Winter Youth Olympics on home ice Tuesday. Shin, 15, became the second straight South Korean medalist in this event, following the 2020 Youth Olympic champion, You Young. Shin scored 191.83 points overall, with 125.35 points in Tuesday's free skate added to 66.48 points from Sunday's short program. Mao Shimada of Japan, the leader after the short program with 71.05 points, earned 125.

Jan. 30, 2024

Snowboarder Lee Chae-un wins slopestyle gold at Winter Youth Olympics

South Korean snowboarder Lee Chae-un grabbed the gold medal in the men's slopestyle at the Winter Youth Olympics at home Thursday, the third gold for the host country of the two-week competition. In the final held at Welli Hilli Park Ski Resort in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, Lee scored 96.00 points for the first of what could be as many as three gold medals at the Gangwon Winter Youth Games. Eli Bouchard of Canada got the silver medal with 90.00 points, and Romain Allemand of France ear

Jan. 25, 2024

Snow disrupts Youth Olympics in Gangwon; Cold wave alert issued in Seoul

Heavy snowfall pounded the mountainous Gangwon Province on Sunday, where the Winter Youth Olympics are underway, disrupting outdoor competitions and scheduled side events. In the capital Seoul, a cold wave advisory was to take effect from 9 p.m. Sunday, with a significant decline in temperatures expected throughout Monday and Tuesday. According to the Games’ official website, the starting time of the men’s super-G final for Alpine skiing, originally to be held in Jeongseon at 1:30 p.

Jan. 21, 2024

Yoon attends opening ceremony of Winter Youth Olympics

President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangneung on Friday, declaring the games open and sending his support to the 1,802 athletes from 78 countries. The ceremony was held at Gangneung Oval in the city some 160 kilometers east of Seoul. The competition, open to athletes between the ages of 15 and 18, will wrap up on Feb. 1. The fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics is being held in Asia for the first time, with venues in Gangneung, Pyeongchang

Jan. 19, 2024

S. Korean winter sports stars of past, present, future well represented in Youth Olympics ceremony

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- Winter sports stars of the past, the present and the future for South Korea played significant roles in the opening ceremony of the country's first Winter Youth Olympics here Friday. The fourth edition of the youth competition kicked off in the eastern province of Gangwon on Friday night, with Gangneung, some 160 kilometers east of Seoul, and Pyeongchang, just west of Gangneung, simultaneously hosting the opening ceremony. Gangneung Oval, the speed skating venue

Jan. 19, 2024

1st Winter Youth Olympics in Asia to open in S. Korea

The fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics will open in eastern South Korea on Friday night, as the eyes of the winter sports world once again turn to Gangwon Province six years after the Winter Olympics in the region. Gangwon Province will serve as the first Asian host of the quadrennial youth winter sports event, following Innsbruck of Austria, Lillehammer of Norway and Lausanne of Switzerland. The competition, open to athletes between 15 and 18 years of age, will wrap up on Feb. 1. This

Jan. 19, 2024

IOC official sees Winter Youth Olympics in S. Korea as 'legacy in action'

With the South Korean eastern province of Gangwon set to host the Winter Youth Olympics six years after staging the country's first-ever Winter Games, the youth event represents "legacy in action," a senior official with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Thursday. Christophe Dubi, executive director of the Olympic Games at the IOC, said at a press conference that the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, which will open Friday, will successfully carry on the legacy from the

Jan. 18, 2024

Mixed gender events to replace mixed country competition at Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics

The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics taking place in South Korea's Gangwon Province has a few "firsts" to its credit. This is the first Winter Youth Games taking place outside Europe, with Austria, Norway and Switzerland having held the previous three editions. Gangwon 2024 is also the first Olympic Games whose host was selected in a revamped International Olympic Committee bidding process. Instead of pitting candidates against one another in a vote, the IOC chose a "preferred host

Jan. 18, 2024

Teen luger hoping to use Youth Olympics as 'stepping stone' for 2026 Winter Games

Kim Bo-keun grew up playing baseball in the baseball-crazed city of Busan. While he was taking a break from the sport, Kim found himself at a national luge start competition in July 2020, after some nudging from his older brother, who had already taken up the sliding sport. Kim finished third in that event. Impressed with Kim's raw athleticism, a luge coach on the scene approached him. Once the coach found out Kim was 14 years old, he told the teenager that he would be eligible for the Wint

Jan. 17, 2024

Gangwon Youth Olympic Games opening ceremony to celebrate each young person's potential

The focus of the opening ceremony for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will be on celebrating each young individual’s potential, said Yang Jeong-woong, executive creative director for the ceremony, Thursday. The opening ceremony will take place on Jan. 19. Yang, who served as executive producer of the opening ceremony for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, likened the potential of the youth to the universe, which is the main theme of the opening ceremony, set to take place si

Jan. 12, 2024

Gangwon gets ready for 2024 Winter Youth Olympics

The Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will commence on Jan. 19 in Gangwon Province in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, bringing together a record 1,803 young athletes from 79 countries across the world. Held under the slogan of "Grow Together, Shin Forever," the event is the fourth edition of the Youth Winter Olympic Games and the first one ever hosted in Asia. The participants will compete in 15 disciplines across seven sports, in a total of 81 events. The sports to be

Jan. 11, 2024

IOC President Bach says Winter Youth Olympics in S. Korea will be 'enriching experience'

With South Korea preparing to open the fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics next week, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach believes the event will offer "a very enriching experience for everybody." In an online interview with Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, 10 days before the start of the youth competition in Gangwon Province on the east coast, Bach acknowledged that the level of interest in and awareness of the Youth Olympic Games, whose history only dates to

Jan. 9, 2024

6 years after PyeongChang 2018, Gangwon Province back in spotlight as host of Winter Youth Olympics

Six years after hosting the Winter Olympic Games, the South Korean eastern province of Gangwon will be back in the winter sports spotlight this month, as it stages the fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics. The youth competition will open Jan. 19 and wrap up Feb. 1. It will be the first Winter Youth Olympics to take place outside Europe, after Austria, Norway and Switzerland took turns. The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics will use many of the venues from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, ma

Jan. 8, 2024

S. Korea to host Asia's 1st Homeless World Cup in 2024

Seoul will stage an international football tournament for homeless people in 2024, the event's organizers announced this week, making South Korea the first Asian host of the annual competition. The 2024 Homeless World Cup will be coming to the South Korean capital for an eight-day run in October, the Homeless World Cup Foundation and the Big Issue Korea said Tuesday. The exact dates and venue will be announced early next year, officials added. The Homeless World Cup, bringing together homel

Dec. 20, 2023

Teen short tracker Kim Gil-li completes 1,500m sweep at ISU World Cup on home ice

South Korean teenager Kim Gil-li completed her sweep of women's 1,500-meter titles at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating on home ice Sunday. Kim won the second of two 1,500m finals at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul on Sunday, some 24 hours after winning the first one, with a time of 2:23.746. Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States finished second in 2:23.968, followed by Hanne Desmet of Belgium in 2:24.283. The 19-year-old has never previously won t

Dec. 17, 2023

S. Korean stars cruise through early stages at ISU World Cup Short Track

South Korean stars breezed through the opening phases of the International Skating Union World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Seoul on Friday. There were few upsets on Day 1 of the three-day competition at Mokdong Ice Rink in the capital city. Kim Gil-li, who leads all female skaters this season with 615 World Cup points, won Heat 3 in the quarterfinals of the first 1,500-meter race and then finished first in Heat 1 in the second 1,500m race. The top three skaters from each of the six heats,

Dec. 15, 2023

Sports and politics, not the most ideal mix in public's eyes

South Korean soccer hero Park Ji-sung recently denied speculations that he would join the ruling People Power Party, saying that he would "appreciate it if such propositions did not take place in the future." "I never even imagined becoming a politician, and I don't even feel the slightest need to imagine such a thing. ... I was shocked that such speculation even exists," the former Manchester United midfielder said Thursday. He was responding to a media report last mont

Dec. 15, 2023

K League 1 champions Ulsan Hyundai FC renamed Ulsan HD FC for new season

Ulsan Hyundai FC, two-time reigning champions in the top South Korean football league, will be called Ulsan HD FC beginning in 2024. Ulsan announced Wednesday night that rebranding is in line with the recent name change of the club's corporate owner to HD Hyundai. Ulsan celebrated their 40th anniversary in South Korean football in 2023 by capturing their second consecutive title in the top-flight K League 1. It was Ulsan's fourth championship overall. According to the club, the rebrand

Dec. 14, 2023

World No. 1 An Se-young named world's top female badminton player for 2023

South Korean badminton stars An Se-young and Seo Seung-jae have been named the world's best players for the year 2023. The Badminton World Federation honored An and Seo as its Female and Male Player of the Year awards winners at its year-end ceremony in Hangzhou, China, Monday night. An, who climbed to world No. 1 in July at age 21, won her first career Asian Games gold medal in the same city of Hangzhou in October while battling through a knee injury in the final. The BWF recognized athlet

Dec. 12, 2023

Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu named global ambassador for Winter Youth Olympics in S. Korea

Eileen Gu, a two-time Olympic freestyle skiing champion for China, has been named a global ambassador for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics opening in South Korea next month. The organizers of the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon Province, on the east coast of the country, announced Wednesday that Gu, 20, will serve as a mentor for young athletes and also use her considerable social media presence to drive up interest in the Jan. 19-Feb. 1 competition. Gu, 20, won gold medals in the women's bi

Dec. 6, 2023