YUNA KIM SAYS "FAIR PLAY" IS WHAT YOUNG ATHLETES SHOULD LEARN AT LILLEHAMMER 2016 DURING THE WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES NEXT YEAR

Widely known as “Queen Yuna” for her long-standing success on the ice, the Olympic champion paid a special visit to the host city to mark her announcement as Ambassador. Download footage of Yuna speaking about her new role.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced South Korean figure skating legend Yuna Kim as the latest Ambassador to support the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, which will take place from 12 to 21 February next year in Norway.

Widely known as “Queen Yuna” for her long-standing success on the ice, the Olympic champion paid a special visit to the host city to mark the announcement of her role. Yuna spent the day visiting the Youth Olympic Village, touring Lillehammer’s venues and paying the local organisers a visit. This evening she will host a skating workshop for local youngsters and the Norwegian national figure skating team at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre – the figure skating venue for the Youth Olympic Games, also used during the Olympic Winter Games Lillehammer 1994.

For Youth Olympic fans around the world, Yuna will be available for a live social media chat tomorrow (28 August) on Periscope at 10.30 a.m. GMT+2. For more information go to twitter.com/youtholympics. Fans can send their questions for Yuna to answer on Twitter using the hashtag #AskYuna.

Also an Ambassador for the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012, Yuna is once again committed to supporting the event and has a wealth of experience to share with the young athletes and fans, from winning gold at Vancouver 2010 to balancing the pressures of international competition. In her role as Ambassador, Yuna is joined by Alpine skiers Lindsey Vonn and Kjetil Jansrud, ice hockey star Mats Zuccarello and snowboard slopestyler Silje Norendal. Together they will aim to reach not only the next generation of elite athletes, but also young people around the world to encourage them to get active, enjoy the benefits of sport and make the most of the learning experiences throughout the Youth Olympic Games.

“I am very honoured to be back to support the Youth Olympic Games and also to be here in Lillehammer to get a sneak peek of the incredible venues. Lillehammer is a beautiful city and I think the athletes will fall in love with this place! After experiencing Innsbruck 2012, I saw first-hand the smiles of the young athletes and the reaction from fans, and I am so happy to be a part of it once again.”

The IOC chooses Ambassadors for each edition of the Youth Olympic Games. Sporting legends such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Yao Ming and Yelena Isinbaeva, to name but a few, have supported this campaign that is shared with the IOC’s 50 million fans on social media.

The second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place in Lillehammer from 12 to 21 February 2016. The programme features all seven sports on the Olympic programme plus some new additions, including team ski-snowboard cross and monobob. Off the field of play, athletes will be encouraged to take part in a unique programme of activities and workshops, including sessions on healthy eating, injury prevention, the dangers of doping and illegal betting, careers in sport and media training. All existing venues will be used from the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games Lillehammer 1994.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE Free-to-air Video News Release (VNR)

Yuna Kim says fair play is what young athletes should learn at Lillehammer 2016 during the Winter Youth Olympic Games next year.

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LOCATION: Lillehammer, Norway
DATE: 27 August 2015
VIDEO DURATION: 7:50
LANGUAGE: English and Korean
FORMAT: Pal 16:9
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SCRIPT:
The undisputed queen of figure skating Yuna Kim became a Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games Ambassador and spoke of the Olympic values during a skating work shop with the Norwegian national team and local youngsters in the YOG host city. 
Better know as ‘Queen Yuna’ the South Korean legend of figure skating also previewed the first Grand Prix event of the coming season Skate America in Milwaukee, USA this October where her fellow South Korean athlete and a medalist of Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, Park So-youn, the National Champion, will be going for gold against Russia’s Yuila Lipnitskaya and Evgenia Medvedeva.
Yuna Kim retired from figure skating having never finished a major ladies singles event off the podium, a remarkable achievement that most notably saw her claim Olympic gold at the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 and a silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. The Sochi gold medal was awarded to Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova, a graduate of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012. 
One thousand, one hundred athletes aged 15 to 18 from 70 nations will compete in 70 medal events. The seven sports on the Olympic program will feature plus a few new additions, including team ski-snowboard cross and monobob. The Winter YOG will take place in existing venues from the legacy of the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games.
The IOC chooses Ambassadors for each edition of the Youth Olympic Games. Sporting legends such as Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Yao Ming and Yelena Isinbayeva have supported the YOG.  Yuna will join Lindsey Vonn, Silje Norendal, Mats Zuccarello and Kjetil Jansrud as Ambassadors for Lillehammer 2016.

VNR B-Roll SHOT LOG & Transcripts of sound-bytes:
Yuna Kim walking into Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre ice skating rink. 
Hamar ice skating rink, official venue of Lillehammer 2014 
Yuna Kim and other skaters on the ice.
Korean language Answers Translations:
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (Korean Language)
Q. What will the young athletes learn from competing at Lillehammer 2016 Youth Winter Olympic Games?
“For all athletes their biggest dream and goal is to be at the Olympic games and especially they can learn Olympic values like fair play spirit and sportsman like behavior. It’s important because the young athletes can become better athletes through the youth Olympic games so it is a great stepping stone.”
Yuna Kim showing Norway Skating team a spin.
Yuna Kim watching Norway skating team member doing a spin.
Yuna Kim giving advice to Norway skating team member.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (Korean Language)
Q. Does South Korea have a good system in place for creating more world beating winter sport athletes?
“Not just figure skating but there are other good athletes including the young ones coming from other winter sports. I believe that since it was decided that the Pyeongchang would host the Olympic games there has been much more support for Korean athletes and more people have taken an interest in winter sports, so I think there will be more top quality athletes coming out of Korea.”
Yuna Kim showing Norway Skating team spin on the ice.
Yuna Kim explaining a technique to Norway Skating team on the ice.
Norway skating team trying Kim technique.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (Korean Language)
Q. How do you think South Korea’s Park So-youn will perform at the first Grand Prix of the season Skate America?
“There weren’t many cases where South Korean figure skaters competed in Grand prix and this time Park So-youn is competing. She has her own strengths and a good sound foundation of basic technique. That's why if she performs confidently I believe she will do well at the event. We are not aiming for a gold but we would like the best clean performance that she can be happy with. Park still needs more experience on the big stage.”
Photographer taking a picture of Yuna Kim and Norway figure skating team.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (Korean Language)
Q – Are Grand Prix events important in the skaters calendar or is it all about World Champs and Olympics?
“Grand Prix’s are the first events of the season and it's the first time when figure skaters present their programs that's why there is a lot of pressure. Even though it's a small event compared to the World Championships or Olympic Games it doesn’t mean that athletes prepare less, there aren’t many cases where athletes prepare less depending on the size of the event. It doesn't matter the size of the event skaters always try there best so it’s an important competition because you want to start the season on a high.”
Yuna Kim skating in front of YOG branding
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (Korean Language)
Q – Can Figure skating improve as a sport in the future or has it reached its limit?
“If you look back at figure skating history technically and artistically there were times when there were a lot of top quality athletes and then other times, less so. Now I have retired I look at skaters and I see that there are athletes who are technically better than me and so I believe there is a good possibility for figure skating to improve.”
Yuna Kim teaching local Lillehammer youngsters figure skating.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (English Language)
Q – How will the young athletes benefit from competing at Lillehammer 2016?
 “I think young athletes can learn fair play and sport manners through the youth Olympics then they can do their best performance at the senior Olympics.”
Yuna Kim teaching local Lillehammer youngster to look up when skating.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (English Language)
Q – How do you think South Korea’s Park So-youn will perform at the first Grand Prix of the season Skate America?
 “She experienced a big event like the Olympics and the World Championships so she is building her confidence so I think she needs to trust herself.”
Yuna Kim teaching local Lillehammer youngster on the ice.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (English Language)
Q. What were the happiest moments of your career?
“My happiest moment was when I won the world championships in 2009 for the first time and of course the Vancouver Olympics and my last competition at the Sochi Olympics. The three were my happiest moments of my skating life.”
Yuna Kim teaching local Lillehammer youngster artistic merit techniques.
Close up Yuna Kim.
SOUNDBYTE: Yuna Kim (English Language)
Q. Are Grand Prix event important in the skaters calendar or is it all about World Champs and Olympics?
“The grand prix series are the first competition of the season so all the skaters get nervous before the grand prix, because of that I think the grand prix series is very important to go through the season.”
Local Lillehammer youngster doing a spin. 
Yuna Kim competing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Yuna Kim receiving her gold medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Yuna Kim competing at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Yuna Kim waves to the crowd at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
Yuna Kim standing on the podium at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games with Gold medal winner Adelina Sotnikova of Russia and bronze medal winner Carolina Kostner of Italy.
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