The same was true for the Youth Olympics. It was the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon Province (2024) that failed to attract a large number of spectators despite free admission, but the figure skating women’s single free skate event was definitely a hit.
On the 30th, Gangwon 2024 figure skating ice dance and women’s single free skating were held at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangwon Province.
The ice arena, which was quiet at the time of the morning ice dance competition, began to be crowded ahead of the women’s single competition.
Queues increased around noon before the end of the ice dance event, and queues continued to the speed skating stadium (Oval) 300 meters away.
It was to preoccupy a good seat because there was no separate reserved seat for free admission.
You had to wait for more than two hours to get the best seat in the center of the first floor.
The number of spectators attracted to the women’s single figure skating competition contrasted greatly with other events. All competitions except for the opening ceremony were free of charge at this competition, but as it was a youth competition, interest was inevitably reduced.
According to the organizing committee of Gangwon 2024, more than 10,000 tickets for women’s singles were booked as of the previous day. As the 12,000-seat Ice Arena was not fully occupied, empty seats were seen on the third floor.
Kim Hyo-hyun (63) and Kim A-young (61), who came with their granddaughter from Donghae, Gangwon Province, said, “I became a big fan of figure skating due to Kim Yeon-ah’s influence. I came to see Shin Ji-ah, dubbed ‘Little Yeon-ah,’ again today,” adding, “It’s hard to wait for a long time, but I’m happy to watch the game.”
Park Yuna (27), who came a long way from Busan to Gangneung, also said, “I took a vacation and came to see the figure skating event,” adding, “I wasn’t usually interested, but I was interested when I saw Kim Hyun-kyum’s gold medal yesterday.”
There were also many familiar faces in the stands. Kim Yu-na, the “Figure Queen,” was seen sitting in the stands watching the younger players’ matches.
In addition, Thomas Bach, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kim Jae-yeol, chairman of the International Skating Union (ISU), and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and singer Psy watched the game with Kim Yu-na.
However, there were some criticisms about the operation, which was somewhat disappointing. It took a long time to get the spectators who booked a single game after sending out all the spectators at the previous ice dance game.
The spectators, who booked both ice dance and women’s singles, shouted that they could not sit in a good seat because they had to get back in line after leaving.
Park Jang-hyun (36), who booked tickets for both games on this day, complained, saying, “I came to watch two games at the same place a day, but I don’t understand that I have to enter again after leaving after the first game.” 메이저사이트
Some spectators who bought tickets for both games refused to leave or hid in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Shin Ji-ah (16, Yeongdong Middle School), who was supported by the home crowd’s passionate support, won the silver medal with a total of 191.83 points, following Mao Shimada (196.99 points).