Lee Jeong-Min, a 17-year-old ski cross racer, lit the cauldron in Gangwon, South Korea, to open the fourth edition of the Youth Winter Olympics.
The lighting capped the Opening Ceremony held at the Gangneung Oval, which hosted speed skating at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.
A second digital cauldron was lit simultaneously outside the venue with a virtual LED flame for spectators to see in the surrounding park.
U.S. flag bearers were speed skater Elizabeth Rhodehamel and skeleton slider Noah Park.
The quadrennial Youth Winter Games, which debuted in 2012, are for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. This year’s edition uses many venues from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
Medal competition runs Saturday through Feb. 1. Peacock airs all figure skating competition, plus gold- and bronze-medal games in hockey, from Jan. 26-31. A broadcast schedule is here. Every sport streams on Olympics.com.
Notables to compete in past Youth Winter Games include snowboarder Chloe Kim, freestyle skier Eileen Gu and hockey player Jack Eichel.
The #Gangwon2024 Youth Olympic cauldron has been lit by the youngest competing athlete! 🔥#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/MxiXvcNeG2
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) January 19, 2024