The fourth Winter Youth Olympic Games in history officially began on Friday evening with a grand Opening Ceremony in the eastern province of Gangwon, South Korea, with a spectacular ceremony held simultaneously at the Gangneung Oval and and the Pyeongchang Dome, Republic of Korea. 

The impressive Opening Ceremony lasted an hour and a half and combined traditional Korean culture with dance and K-pop music as a prelude to the lighting of the cauldron, calling for a united and non-hierarchical world. 

The values of Olympism permeated the prelude to the winter sports event, which began on 20 January and will continue until 1 February with the participation of 1,802 athletes from the 78 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) represented.

The ceremony focused on the future dreams of Woori, a 17-year-old Korean girl who wants to become an astronaut. Woori, which means "to be together" in Korean, let her imagination soar through the universe to an ice planet as a metaphor for the unlimited potential of youth. 

The event showcased the stunning snowy landscapes where the Youth Winter Games will be held and, after an original countdown, focused all attention on the main protagonists of this event: the youth.

"Dear athletes, this is your moment. Give your best, live the Olympic values, respect yourselves and your competitors, abide by the rules, and enjoy this moment," urged the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the German Thomas Bach. 

The celebrations continued with a performance by a local rap group called Rapper Y2K92, who performed songs on the ice rink while being driven by a Zamboni. 

The Olympic flame, which was recently lit in Athens and travelled to Korea to open the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the first to be held on non-European soil, was carried around the stadium by various winter sports legends and rising stars. It changed hands four times before being passed on to the youngest athlete to take part in the Games, who was the final torchbearer.

Lee Jeong-min, from South Korea, was chosen to light the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. 

The evening ended with boy band LLN8 taking to the stage, followed by TripleS. Ash Island and Changmo, who brought music and energy to the Opening Ceremony of an Olympic Games that will culminate on 1 February. 

A curious fact was promoted by Park Soeon, the bearer of the digital cauldron torch, the first in history to be lit at an Olympic Games. This modern innovation took place at the Gangneung Olympic Park and will go down in history.