GANGNEUNG – South Korea's Gangwon Province marked the opening of the fourth Winter Youth Olympics on Friday, hosting the largest edition of the event to date. The province will welcome athletes aged 15 to 18 from around the world until February 1, making it the first Winter Youth Olympics held outside Europe.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, this year's Olympics boasts a record participation of 1,802 athletes from 78 nations, surpassing previous editions held in Austria, Norway, and Switzerland. Competitors will engage in 81 events across seven sports and 15 disciplines. South Korea, as the host nation, presents the largest delegation with 102 athletes.
The 90-minute opening ceremony took place simultaneously at Gangneung Oval in Gangneung and Pyeongchang Dome in Pyeongchang. The Gangneung Oval, situated 160 kilometers east of Seoul, hosted the main ceremony with dance performances and K-pop acts, while Pyeongchang Dome featured additional K-pop stars. Gangneung will host all ice events, whereas Pyeongchang, the main host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics, will cater to snow events including ski jumping and biathlon. Jeongseon county, near Pyeongchang, will host alpine and freestyle skiing's moguls events, while Hoengseong county will stage other freestyle skiing events and snowboarding.
All events are accessible free of charge, with online booking available for spectators. The event also includes cultural performances for visitors. The opening ceremony narrated the story of "Woori," a fictional character from Gangwon, representing Koreans who achieve their dreams. The narrative followed Woori's ambition to become an astronaut.
Prominent South Korean winter sport athletes participated in the ceremony, carrying the national flag into the oval. These included short track speed skater Seo Whi-min, biathlete Kim Yong-gyu, figure skater Lee Hae-in, bobsledder Jun Jung-lin, hockey player Ahn Kun-young, and speed skater Lee Kang-seok. President Yoon Suk Yeol declared the Youth Olympics open following the flag raising.
The final leg of the torch relay began at Pyeongchang Dome and concluded at Gangneung Oval, where the Olympic cauldron was lit. Yun Sung-bin, the 2018 Olympic men's skeleton champion, initiated the torch's final journey. Park Ha-eun and Park Ga-eun, sisters competing in short track speed skating, and former skater Park Seung-hi, a two-time gold medalist, were also torchbearers. Seventeen-year-old freestyle skier Lee Jeong-min had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron. The ceremony featured a first-ever digital flame, powered by cloud computing technology, which will remain lit throughout the competition and change color based on Gangwon's real-time weather data.
DOHA – The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, is set to intensify their efforts in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup following a significant injury to their key goalkeeper. The team is preparing for their second Group E match against Jordan in Doha.According to the Yonhap News Agency, first-choice goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu will miss the remainder of the Asian Cup due to a torn ligament in his right knee, an injury sustained during a training session on Thursday. Kim had played a crucial role in South Korea's 3-1 victory over Bahrain in their tournament opener. Klinsmann now turns to veteran Jo Hyeon-woo, with Song Bum-keun as the backup.
During a prematch press conference at the Main Media Centre in Doha, Klinsmann expressed sorrow over Kim's injury and emphasized the team's determination to perform in his honor. Midfielder Lee Jae-sung, who experienced a similar setback in the 2019 Asian Cup, echoed these sentiments, noting that the team would use Kim's absence as additional motivation.
Despite South Korea's higher FIFA ranking compared to Jordan, Klinsmann and Lee anticipate a challenging match. Klinsmann referenced Jordan's impressive 4-0 victory over Malaysia, emphasizing their offensive capabilities and the need for South Korea to be vigilant. He dismissed notions of Jordan being a defensively oriented team, pointing to their goal-scoring prowess.
Lee Jae-sung, a midfielder for Mainz 05, highlighted the need for strategic adjustments to overcome tight defenses, focusing on creating scoring opportunities. Klinsmann, mindful of the team's offensive talent, including Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min and Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in, urged caution against overconfidence and emphasized a game-by-game approach.
The team is also managing caution with discipline, as five players, including Son and Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae, are at risk of suspension for the next match against Malaysia if they receive another yellow card. Klinsmann expressed trust in the players to handle this situation wisely.
The upcoming match between South Korea and Jordan, set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha (8:30 p.m. in Seoul), is crucial for South Korea's aspirations to secure a spot in the knockout stage and pursue their first Asian Cup title since 1960. The tournament will advance the top two teams from each group and the four best third-place teams to the round of 16.