Gangneung, Jan 23 (IANS): The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games continued a legacy of gender equality by offering an equal platform to both young male and female athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.

There has been an equal distribution of quota places to male and female athletes: 50 per cent for women and 50 per cent for men. The numbers of women’s and men’s events are also equal.

A total of 81 events in 7 sports and 15 disciplines are scheduled at the current YOG edition in the Republic of Korea, with 32 women’s and 32 men’s events, as well as 17 mixed events.

Gangwon 2024 introduced four new mixed events: a freestyle skiing mixed team dual moguls event, a Nordic combined mixed team event, a snowboard cross mixed team event, and a mixed relay in cross-country skiing.

Following their debut at the YOG, certain new events will be going on to feature on the programme of the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 – in freestyle skiing, for example, where the men’s and women’s dual moguls events that are premiering at Gangwon 2024 will also be on the programme at Milano Cortina 2026, the IOC said.