Excitement is building in Lausanne and the surrounding areas for 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that will take place in the Olympic capital in January.

The YOG Lausanne 2020 are the Games of many “firsts”. This will be the first time that the Winter YOG come to Switzerland. This will also be the first winter edition of the YOG to feature complete gender equality, with the same number of female and male athletes taking part. Some new sports too, with particular youth appeal, such as 3-on-3 ice hockey, will also make their appearance for the first time.

As Lausanne gets ready to welcome the youth of the world to display their prowess and achievements on the field of play, it is a fitting reminder that the YOG are about so much more than sport. They are as much about unity and inclusivity as providing educational and learning opportunities for young people.

While the city of Lausanne will be at the centre of the YOG, the programme will see sport events take place in three Swiss regions – in the Cantons of Vaud, Valais and Grisons – as well as in neighbouring France. This will be the first time that Youth Olympic events are shared across national borders.

The Winter YOG Lausanne 2020 are also especially inclusive in the way in which they have been prepared and organised. Local youth have been involved in so many ways. There has been strong engagement with local schools and universities throughout the city and the region, including the University of Lausanne. The Youth Olympic Village, that will host the athletes, is situated at the heart of the university campus in the Vortex Building. In a demonstration of how the YOG are truly a catalyst uniting the local community, some 800 volunteers from the university and local organisations, as well as the IOC, came together as a team to build the furniture in the rooms that will serve as home to the athletes during the event. After the YOG, the Vortex will become student housing.

The Vortex will not be the only tangible legacy from the event. Important efforts have been made to ensure that existing venues and facilities are being used for competitions and that any new constructions fit in with the long-term vision of the city. Therefore, the only newly renovated venue, the Vaudoise Aréna in Lausanne, has been planned with the city’s long- term vision in mind. Meanwhile, the bobsleigh, skeleton, luge and speed skating events will happen in existing venues in St Moritz, where the Olympic Winter Games took place in 1928 and again in 1948 – another fitting legacy and a sign of continuity with an illustrious past.

During the Games, local youth will have the chance to be inspired by the performances of their peers, but also to try out some of the sports themselves. In addition, some of the budding journalists covering the events will be part of the IOC Young Reporters, a programme intended to help nurture their talent and hone their skills.

As we look forward to 2020, the Lausanne YOG which will welcome in the New Year will truly be Games by young people, for young people. This will be a special moment for the Olympic capital, which has been home to the IOC for over 100 years.