Will Russian athletes take part in the 2024 Youth Winter Games in Gangwon, South Korea? The question is still little discussed in the Olympic movement, because overshadowed by questions about a possible Russian presence at the Paris 2024 Games. Yet it is a topical issue. And it hasn’t been decided yet either. In response to a request from the TASS agency, the IOC said this week that Russian and Belarusian athletes were not excluded from the 2024 Winter YOG in Gangwon. But Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), doesn’t believe it. “International sports federations have taken the illegal and unfair decision to ban athletes, including juniors, those eligible for the Youth Olympic Games, from competing, he told the Russian news agency. For this reason, we have long missed the qualification deadline for the Winter YOG. The ROC has received no invitation to these events, and there has been no discussion on this subject through direct or indirect communication with our counterparts in Lausanne. As a result, our participation in the Winter Youth Games is impossible, as the international winter sports federations have ignored the recommendation made by the IOC to allow Russian athletes to return to competition“. The 4th edition of the Winter YOG is scheduled to take place from January 19 to February 1, 2024 in the South Korean province of Gangwon. The competitions will take place, for the most part, at the venues of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.
