27 January 2024
PyeongChang 2018 meets Gangwon 2024: The legacy of the Games
The legacy of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games can be found, literally, at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Two years after Korea impressed the world at the grandest winter sport stage, the International Olympic Committee approved Gangwon to become the first Winter Youth Games host outside of Europe.
A positive impression was left by PyeongChang, making it an easy decision to award the Games to the country again.
With that comes the reuse of several sporting venues in the PyeongChang and Gangneung clusters, including the Gangneung Curling Centre, which hosted curling six years ago.
While the venues were always part of the Gangwon plan, there was no guarantee where the national curling setup would be by the time the youth Games came around.
Fortunately, the impact of PyeongChang was a positive one, showing a clear improvement in the performances of Korean teams. The tipping point was the silver medal for Kim Eun-jung’s women’s rink on home ice.
Since then, Korea has been consistently better across categories. At the World Junior Curling Championships 2020, Kim Minji skipped the country to a women’s silver medal, later going on to win the Pan Continental Championships in 2023 as an adult athlete.
Prior to PyeongChang 2018, Korea had never won a medal at the world men’s or women’s curling championship. A year later, Kim Minji’s rink took women’s bronze. In 2022, Kim Eun-jung’s team won women’s silver. Even the men’s team had a bounce from competing at a home Games – making the semi-finals for the first time, in 2018.
At the Pan Continental Curling Championships, Korea has made every final – having four appearances from four.
Coming into Gangwon 2024, you cannot get away from the bright impact its mighty predecessor gave it. Information is shared between the two organising committees, with the hope to make this the best youth Games yet, particularly on the ice.
Hong Junpyo “JP” a World Curling game umpire and the PyeongChang 2018 curling sport manager, has had the privilege to see that growth come from the event he played a part in successfully hosting. He says there was no doubt about the impact Kim Eun-jung’s team had on the nation and its enthusiasm for the sport.
“The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics marked a significant turning point for Korean curling,” said Hong.
“The silver medal won by the women’s curling team garnered immense attention and interest in the sport within Korea.”
You can see it in the host mixed team competing in Gangwon, with all four members mentioning a member of the Kim Eun-jung rink as one of their curling inspirations.
It can be felt in the future of the Gangneung Curling Centre too, which was expected to return to being a sports complex, but the success of the sport saw its fate change to a permanent curling facility.
“It provides a platform for domestic and foreign participants to enjoy high-quality curling competitions.
“For professional Korean players, it has contributed to raising the overall skill level of Korean curling by providing improved training ground conditions.”
With the venue being in a high area of tourism too, there are opportunities to showcase the sport to visitors from across the country and employs local people all year around.
Now, the path that started with PyeongChang continues with Gangwon, under the watch of Ji Youngmi, sports manager for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. There, she is delivering a pathway that started six years ago, but could have a legacy that lasts generations.
“PyeongChang 2018 have contributed in various ways to nurturing aspiring curlers today,” said Ji, who acknowledged the need to continue that momentum.
“As a member of the Youth Olympic Organising Committee and the curling sports manager, our primary focus has been on preparing the competition venue to ensure that athletes can showcase their best skills and revive the ‘curling craze’ as seen during the Olympics.
“Our focus extends to providing a positive participant and spectator experience, promoting the sport locally and globally and generating positive economic impacts for the region.
“In essence, we aim to leave a lasting and positive impact on the community, participants and the sport of curling.”
With Hong returning as chief of competition for curling at Gangwon, there is a clear effort to use past experience and existing infrastructure to make it a sustainable Games.
Going forward, the goals are twofold – keeping that infrastructure updated and having performances to ensure young athletes will flock to the facility, having been inspired by their compatriots.
“The Gangneung Curling Centre is the oldest venue within the Gangneung Olympic Park,” the sports manager Ji added.
“Collaborative efforts with the venue owner and the city government have been undertaken to address and renovate the ageing infrastructure.
“As sports manager, my personal hope is for the Korean curling team to achieve excellent results, leading to the further popularisation of curling within the country.
“I anticipate that curling will gain greater recognition and interest in the domestic sports culture, encouraging more people to participate in and enjoy this sport.”
Six years passed by quickly, and in that short space of time, Korea has shown exactly how to invest in its future. Six years from now will be 2030, another Winter Olympic Games, and an opportunity for Korea to improve on that 2018 silver medal. But to get there, the locomotive cannot stop – Gangwon is just the next stop on a journey to global success.
Written by Feature Writer, Michael Houston
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