2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea

Media Release

Right after the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games the ISMF has started the application to be included into the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in South Korea. The initiative included personal visits to high-ranking Korean sports authorities, contacts to the IOC, comprehensive documentation and advice to the Korean Organising Committee as well as an active relationship management by the Board of the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF).

Unfortunately, all these many efforts have not been successful. The Korean Organising Committee professed itself unable to include the ski mountaineering into the 2024 YOG. The main reasons for this decision include the small size of the sport in Korea, the difficulties to find suitable venues and the high costs compared with the low success potential for domestic athletes.

Although this is a painful setback for the international development of our sport, we have to respect the decision of the Koreans. Furthermore, we also have to admit that this all might be the result of the fact that ski mountaineering needs much stronger and more systematic development throughout Asia.

With this in mind, we should not consider this as a defeat rather strengthen our efforts of building sustainable structures on this Continent and supporting our Asian colleagues on their way to future growth.

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