Gangwon 2024 visitors also praised the Play Winter Zone Festival sites that provided a wide variety of free activities in various venues, including sports demonstrations, live music, and interactive food and craft experiences. The festivals, organized by the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation in partnership with the Gangwon 2024 Organizing Committee, welcomed more than 110,000 visitors during the YOG, with 70 percent of fans surveyed saying they enjoyed the cultural and sporting activities a lot offered, ranking them eight. or higher than 10.
Paying tribute to the host nation after the success of the YOG, President Bach said: βAll this would not have been possible without the great work by our Korean friends: the Organizing Committee, the Korean people, the volunteers, the different levels of government. All of them have been very dedicated to make this Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games a brilliant success.β
Record digital reach on digital platforms of the Olympic Games
In addition to its on-site success, Gangwon 2024 also achieved impressive digital engagement, surpassing previous YOG benchmarks across Olympic digital platforms.
In total, the YOG reached more than 810,000 users through the Olympic Games web and app platforms, representing a 26 percent increase compared to Winter YOG Lausanne 2020. Meanwhile, on Olympic social media, the YOG created 313 million engagements on official @Olympics channels, making Gangwon 2024 the most successful social media campaign for the IOC since the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, with President Bach calling it βan unprecedented result for a youth event β ββa overwhelming success that we greatly appreciate.”
Gangwon 2024’s broadcast also reached around 137 million unique viewers worldwide. The shift to digital platforms led to a significant increase in digital consumption, with a 336 percent increase in viewing minutes compared to the previous YOG, highlighting the evolving landscape of sports media consumption and the growing importance of digital streaming.
Presenting the report to EB, IOC member Hong Zhang, Chairman of the Gangwon 2024 Coordination Committee, said: βThe Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games truly set a new benchmark for youth sports events. Our athletes and spectators experienced the magic of the Olympic spirit first-hand, and record digital participation has demonstrated the global reach and impact of these Games. We are proud of the positive feedback and overwhelming support from our local and international audience. This success would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.”