Two athletes selected as Team Canada’s Gangwon 2024 Opening Ceremony Flag Bearers
GANGNEUNG (January 17, 2024) – Today, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) named 16-year-old freestyle skier Charlie Beatty and 17-year-old curler Chloe Fediuk as Team Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
Team Canada’s Youth Olympic flag bearers are selected by a COC Selection Committee that includes Team Canada’s Gangwon 2024 Chef de Mission, Lisa Weagle. Weagle surprised the athletes with the news via separate video calls prior to departing for South Korea.
“Chloe and Charlie were selected as flag bearers not only for their exceptional sporting accomplishments, but also their leadership, character and passion for sport,” said Weagle. “As they proudly carry the maple leaf into the Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, they have the power to inspire all of Team Canada to perform their best and represent their country with pride, as well as motivate the next generation to pursue sporting excellence.”
Charlie Beatty has been competing on the senior FIS World Cup circuit and has Olympic aspirations. He is the reigning junior world champion in men’s ski slopestyle. Beatty was 15 at the time, making him the youngest athlete on the men’s slopestyle podium. When he was 14, Beatty was the youngest-ever athlete selected for Freestyle Canada’s NextGen program. In 2019, Beatty became the junior national champion in both ski slopestyle and ski halfpipe. In 2014, when Beatty was 11 years old, he won gold at Freestyle Canada’s junior nationals in both ski slopestyle and ski halfpipe at the Under-14 level.
Off the slopes, Beatty is a stand-out leader who values giving back to the community. Along with his family, Beatty began a “Shred Cancer” ski and snowboard event, raising over $25,000 for the local hospital in his community. In 2019, Beatty was a recipient of the Sarah Burke Foundation’s “Up & Coming” Scholarship, awarded to talented young winter sport athletes who contribute in a positive way to their community. He also often emcees local ski competitions and speaks at local schools and daycares to encourage the younger generation to get involved in sport.
“As a Youth Olympic Games athlete, given the honour of being a flag bearer for Team Canada is a tremendous source of both excitement and pride. When I heard the news, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and humility,” said Beatty.
“This opportunity signifies for me the unwavering determination and pursuit of excellence that all Canadian athletes possess. As a part of the freestyle skiing community, we are a united family. When I carry our Canadian flag, I will be sharing the unity not only within my sport, but with each Canadian athlete competing at Gangwon 2024 and with everyone who has supported my journey to get here.”
Chloe Fediuk, who will play third with the mixed curling team in Gangwon, plays second with her junior women’s team (Team Plett/Team Alberta). At the 2023 World Junior-B Curling Championships, Fediuk and her team won silver, qualifying Team Canada for the 2024 World Junior Curling Championships in Finland this February, where she will proudly wear the maple leaf again. Her team also won silver at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and made history as the first team to win gold at the Canadian Under-21 and Under-18 championships in the same season.
Similar to Beatty, Fediuk is a community champion. She enjoys sharing the love of curling with beginners, and often supports learn-to-curl clinics in her community. Fediuk contributes positive energy to any team she is a part of on or off the ice and is already a leader amongst her peers and in the curling community.
“I was in disbelief when I got the call from Lisa Weagle that I was selected as the female Opening Ceremony flag bearer for Team Canada,” said Fediuk. “It didn’t sink in until later that day when I said it out loud and I was overcome with emotion. Excited is an understatement of how I’ve felt since I received the news; it is truly an honour to be granted this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I stand proud and remain humble throughout this journey, knowing there are so many people to thank along the way who have contributed to my success. I am grateful for sport and the opportunities it has given me to be part of something so extraordinary. The moment when I proudly carry the Canadian flag alongside Canada’s most talented youth athletes will be one I’ll cherish forever.”
Beatty and Fediuk will carry the maple leaf into the Gangwon 2024 Opening Ceremony at the Gangneung Oval on Friday, January 19. Marching with them will be many of their 77 young teammates who make up Team Canada’s Gangwon 2024 delegation, alongside athletes from 80 National Olympic Committees. The athletes, who will gain valuable international sport experience in a major Games environment designed for youth under the age of 18, will also have the opportunity to engage in all that the YOG have to offer, allowing them to grow, empowering them to promote Olympic values and to initiate positive change through sport.
“Chloe and Charlie are great athletes, but it is their character off the field of play as well as their commitment to building up their communities and promoting sport to younger audiences that truly make them perfect choices to lead this young Team Canada into the Opening Ceremony,” said Eric Myles, Chief Sport Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “We’re excited to cheer them and the entire Canadian delegation on as they compete at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games which offer a tremendous development opportunity for young athletes.”
The Youth Olympic Games are the world’s largest multi-sport event for high-performance youth athletes aged 14 – 18. Gangwon 2024 will officially open on Friday, January 19 and continue through Thursday, February 1. It will feature a fully gender-balanced sporting programme, with 1900 athletes competing in seven sports, 15 disciplines, and a total of 81 events.
This will be the fourth edition of the Winter YOG and the first to take place in Asia. In the spirit of sustainability, Gangwon 2024 will use many of the same venues that were used for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and will take place in Gangneung, PyeongChang, Hoengseong, and Jeongseon in the Gangwon province of South Korea.
As the official Gangwon 2024 broadcaster in Canada, CBC/Radio-Canada will provide coverage of the Games on cbcsports.ca, radio-canada.ca/sports and the CBC Sports app.
The Olympic Channel will also have full coverage of Gangwon 2024, live-streamed on their free app.
The Team Canada Gangwon 2024 roster can be found here, and additional press resources can be found here.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Tara MacBournie
Team Canada’s Gangwon 2024 Communications Lead
WhatsApp: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca