Athletes selected for Winter Youth Olympic Games

Young Wānaka and Queenstown snowsports athletes have been selected for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Reigning 2023 Snowboard Slopestyle Junior World Champion Lucia Georgalli leads the pack from Queenstown Lakes. The Wānaka 16-year-old will compete in the Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air in South Korea.

The Games will run January 19 - February 1 and will welcome almost 2000 young athletes (aged between 14 and 18 years old) from around the world to compete in 7 sports, 15 disciplines and 81 events.

New Zealand is expected to be represented by around 20 athletes, with youngsters currently working towards selection in biathlon, curling, luge, ice figure skating and snow sports.

"Finding out I was selected for the Youth Olympic Team made me feel really stoked," she says.

"I am excited to experience the Olympic village and meet other athletes from all around world. Winning Junior World Champs earlier this year was an important moment in my career and gives me a lot of confidence going into the Youth Olympic Games."

Joining her is Wānaka's Campbell Melville Ives, 17, who'll compete in the Snowboard Halfpipe and Te Anau's Ava Beer, 15, who's taking on the Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air.

Snowboarders from further afield are Raglan's Txema Mazet-Brown, 17, and Auckland's Joshua Li, 13, who are both competing in the Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air. Li will be the youngest snow sports athlete on the team and one of the youngest athletes at the Games, with his birthday just inside the qualifying date range.

Queenstown 15-year-old skier Madeleine Disbrowe will compete in Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air.

She's joining 2023 Junior World Championship Freeski Slopestyle bronze medallist Mischa Thomas, Lake Hawea's Luke Harrold, 15, and Auckland's Fergus McArthur, 17, in those comps.

And Wānaka's Finley Melville Ives, 17, and Aucklander Liam Richards, 15, will contest Freeski Halfpipe, while Wānaka's Campbell Appel, 17, competes in the Freestyle Ski Cross.

The freestyle ski and snowboard selections are conditional on receiving an official FIS (International Ski Federation) quota place for the games.

In addition to the events above, if the quotas are received and the event entries are not exceeded, the following athletes will be able to start in the following events: Cam Melville Ives (Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air), Fin Melville Ives (Men’s Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air), Luke Harrold (Men’s Freeski Halfpipe) and Ava Beer (Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe).

The first group of athletes selected to represent New Zealand at Gangwon 2024 have recorded a slew of incredible results over the past twelve-months.

In addition to the 2023 Junior World Championship podiums, Finley Melville Ives has achieved two sixth place finishes at World Cup level, Luke Harrold has claimed numerous European and North American Cup podiums and Ava Beer rode her way to a second-place finish at the World Rookie Tour Finals.

New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Nicki Nicol extended her congratulations to the athletes.

"We’re really pleased to have begun naming our team for Gangwon and are excited at the potential of these young athletes," she says.

"I had the pleasure of seeing many of them in action at Winter Games NZ earlier this year and I’m looking forward to seeing them show the world what they can do early next year."

Snow Sports NZ CEO Nic Cavanagh also congratulated the athletes.

"These athletes represent the future of our sport, and we wish them all the best as they continue to grow New Zealand’s reputation as a dominant force in the disciplines of freestyle skiing and snowboarding," Cavanagh says.

"Following multiple podium success at this year’s FIS Junior World Championships, these athletes are ranked amongst the best age group athletes for their chosen disciplines. We look forward to them wearing the fern and representing New Zealand with pride when they compete in South Korea."

Cooper Breen (13, Freeski Halfpipe), Hamish Barlow (17, Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air), and Sylvia Trotter (16, Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air) have been named as reserves.

Further Gangwon 2024 selections will take place ahead of the Games with alpine, ice figure skating, luge, and curling athletes working towards the team.

The Games being held across four cities in the Gangwon Province of South Korea - Gangneung, Pyeongchang, Jeongseon, and Hoengseong, aiming to build upon the legacy of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, and using many of the existing venues.

Madeleine Disbrowe. Photo: Lennon Bright / Snow Sports NZ