Over 100 teenagers from snowless countries got the chance to hone their skills in Olympic winter sports through the Dream Program. 

Some 163 teenagers from 39 counties were invited to Korea for 13 days from January 5 to 17, during which they participated in the program in Pyeongchang and Gangneung in Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province). The nations represented in the program included East Timor, Rwanda, Venezuela, Brunei, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Uruguay, Cambodia, Costa Rica, and Papua New Guinea. 

A total of 163 people from 39 countries took part in Dream Program this year (photo courtesy of Gangwon Province).
A total of 163 people from 39 countries took part in Dream Program this year (photo courtesy of Gangwon Province).

The annual program was introduced by Gangwon Province in 2004 to expand the reach of winter sports to those from nations where winter sports are not well-developed due to warm climate and insufficient resources, but since 2012 it has been geared toward training young hopefuls preparing to take part in international competitions as well as instructing their coaches. 

This year, a master class was conducted for the first time with training from professional Korean winter sports athletes including Vancouver Olympics short track speed skating silver medalist Sung Si-bak, Kwak Min-jeong who won a bronze medal in women's free skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games in Astana, Kazakhstan, national alpine ski team coach Byun Jong-moon, and former national snowboarding team coach Noh Sung-gyun. 

In addition, the participants had the opportunity to experience winter sports including cross-country skiing, bobsleigh, curling, and ice hockey. 

Participants of the Dream Program make a giant pot of bibimbap (photo courtesy of Gangwon Province). Participants of the Dream Program make a giant pot of bibimbap (photo courtesy of Gangwon Province).

The participants toured Seoul in the middle of their program, visiting palaces and museums in the capital and watching K-pop performances. 

“Things that I remember most in Seoul are palaces and old architecture,” said Emilio Dinza from Panama, in an interview with KTV. 

Nigerian newspapers Leadership and the Peoples Daily reported on the Dream Program and their countrymen participating in the event. Media outlets in Kazakhstan including BNews.kz, sport.kz, and sk-sport.kz also covered the news. 

“It was a great experience not only for children but for all participating coaches,” Asel Kamesheva from Kazakhstan was quoted as saying by sk-sport.kz, sharing his impression on the program. “The organization of the event was at the highest level as it paid special attention to athletes --– not as children but as future champions.” 

Dream Program participants practice snowshoeing (photo courtesy of Gangwon Province).
Dream Program participants practice snowshoeing (photo courtesy of Gangwon Province).


According to Gangwon Province, a total of 1,246 youths from 62 countries have taken part in the program in the last decade. The program helped promote Pyeongchang as the host of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and realize its vision “New Horizon” by expanding the base of winter sports. 

Among the participants, 46 athletes have actually represented their countries in international winter sporting events such as the Winter Olympics, Winter Youth Olympics, and World Championships, according to Gangwon Province. 


[Source: Korea.net]