A University of Stirling journalism student is heading to South Korea to report on the Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG) after being selected to take part in a special training scheme.
Claudia Gasparino, 22, is one of 14 aspiring journalists to be selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to participate in the Young Reporters Programme at Gangwon 2024.
Journalism, Film and Media student
I’ll be gaining hands-on practical work experience as well as training and working alongside professional journalists, which is a unique opportunity.
The initiative aims to provide journalism students, and those taking their first steps in journalism careers, with cross-platform training and on-the-job experience at a major multi-sport event.
As part of the programme, Claudia will spend 20 days in Gangwon during the event, which runs from 19 January to 1 February 2024, and will be mentored by seasoned Olympic media professionals.
Claudia, who is in fourth year and studies Journalism, Film and Media, said: “I’d like to be a sports journalist when I graduate, so this is a really exciting opportunity. I’ll be gaining hands-on practical work experience as well as training and working alongside professional journalists, which is a unique opportunity.
“Every day will be different, with masterclasses on topics like photography, broadcast and writing and then I’ll be shadowing the reporters when the event starts. I’d really like to cover the ice skating as I’ve loved figure skating since I was a child.”
Having already completed a week-long work placement at the European Volleyball Championships in summer, where she interviewed coaches and athletes and translated for English-speaking media, Claudia is looking forward to travelling further afield.
“I’m really excited to go to South Korea,” she said. “It’s the first time I’ll have travelled outside of Europe and I’m excited to work alongside the Korean participants and learn more about their culture.”
Professional training
The Young Reporters Programme for Gangwon 2024 includes a mix of class- and field-based tuition and seeks to arm participants with all the tools required to work in the modern media industry and cover major events such as the Olympic Games.
This year, the programme includes eight aspiring reporters from WYOG 2024 host nation, South Korea and two representatives each from future Olympic host nations France (Paris 2024), Italy (Milano-Cortina 2026) and Senegal (Dakar 2026).
Head of the University of Stirling’s undergraduate journalism programme, Professor Adrian Hadland, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Claudia that she has worked very hard to achieve. It is hopefully a stepping stone for her to a great career in sports journalism.
“The journalism programme at Stirling is consistently ranked as one of the top courses in the UK and continues to turn out high quality graduates who have been making their mark in the industry.”
The Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024 is set to feature more than 1,900 athletes from 81 National Olympic Committees, with events being held in four locations across the Gangwon region – Gangneung, PyeongChang, Jeongseon and Hoengseong.