Gangwon 2024: Shattering Stereotypes, IOC Elevates Female Coaches to Elite Ranks in Historic Move

The Olympic enthusiasts are on an adrenaline-rushing ride with back-to-back action, first at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Games and then later in Paris. Winter Youth Games are in full flow with women athletes taking the stage by storm. And this year, female head coach numbers are also seeing a rise while the Paris Olympics 2024 will witness over 5,000 women athletes in action.

But this time, Olympic authorities have come up with a groundbreaking move to further elevate female participation in the Grand event. Female coaches were always on the decline, but with this moratorium, we are bound to see developmental changes. The Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Games are witnessing multiple female faces furnished out of this groundbreaking move. This triumphant tale of women breaking glass ceilings all over town is set to go down in history.

IOC’s game changer set to create a sporting precedence

In the latest update on X, Olympics media announced the record-shattering results from the IOC’s Women in Sport High-Performance (WISH) program. “A new generation of female coaches are at #Gangwon2024, paving the way for a more gender-equal future. The IOC’s Women in Sport High-performance (WISH) pathway programme empowers female coaches to reach the elite level“, the caption of the joyous announcement read. And the best four of those coaches also got a shout-out in the thread posted below.

A few days earlier, the Thailand skeleton team created history by competing for the first time in an Olympic event. Cheering behind the team was Korean Mun Ra-young, a product of the WISH program. “Before the WISH programme, I didn’t really feel like I was ready to coach at this level,”, she thanked the IOC’s gesture. The 2nd on the list is former skeleton racer Joska Le Conte, who is delivering sensational results as the technical director of the Dutch National Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. There are more luminaries abound though and we’d be remiss if we don’t give them special mentions.

Olympic and World Champion inspiring athletes at Gangwon 2024

Among other star performers of WISH is Andrea Bednas, who is working at the Youth Olympic Games as a coach to Dutch snowboarders Sam van Lieshout and Katja Dutu. “In freestyle snowboarding, there’s not that many female coaches, and if you look here now, I am actually the only one“, she expresses her happiness.

READ MORE: Gangwon 2024: Momentous Milestone as the Winter Olympics Celebrate a Historic Achievement

But it’s the 2022 Olympic Curling Champion Jennifer Dodds who is becoming the inspiration of the young generation at the Gangwon Youth Olympics. She is working as one of the Athlete Role Models at YOG and believes, “With the young athletes, I can talk about my own experiences and help guide them”. 2024 indeed is turning out to be one of the best years for female athletes all around, and now coaches too are following suit in upholding reputations.

WATCH STORY – Witness Moments When Russian Athletes Are Banned By The IOC For Breaching The Rules As Paris Prepares For Another One In 2024