PyeongChang (RWH) 78 youth athletes from 25 nations have registered for the OMEGA Youth Series on March 1-2 at the Olympic Sliding Centre in PyeongChang (KOR). The fifth stop of the race series is also a dress rehearsal for the 4th Youth Olympic Games, which will be held on the 2018 Olympic track next year.
The event was preceded by a training camp of more than two weeks under the direction of Nicola Minichiello, 2009 Women's Bobsleigh World Champion and now North America Coordinator of the World Federation IBSF. The experienced coaches prepared the participants, aged 13 to 17, for the challenging track in South Korea with systematic training in which the starting heights moved higher and higher in accordance with the progress of the male and female pilots.
"We have athletes from established countries such as Germany, Latvia and the USA sharing equipment with athletes from new federations such as Tunisia, Lesotho and Nigeria, who are on the ice for the first time at this event," explained Nicola Minichiello.
In addition to the competitions, the program also included a wide range of educational and cultural activities. This included Korean language courses, information on anti-doping initiatives, safe sports, social media, Korean culture and K-pop. “We want to develop these athletes into well-trained competitors who will be the foundation of the IBSF for the next two decades," said Nicola Minichiello. "All athletes live, socialize and train together and we can see amazing progress."
Photos: KBSF
