The 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that took place in Lausanne in January this year were truly an inspiration on so many levels.
Working together in a real team effort with the populations of Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland and neighbouring France, this event captured the hearts and imaginations of so many people.
In total, 1,872 athletes, from 79 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), participated in 81 medal events. With 50 per cent female athletes, these were the first gender-balanced Winter YOG.
Meanwhile, more NOCs participated in a Winter YOG than ever before, with 12 NOCs sending athletes for the very first time. We invite you to read the stories of some of these inspiring young people in the pages that follow.
These young athletes were supported in their endeavours by more than 640,000 spectators who attended the YOG across the eight sites, while viewers of the Olympic Channel and in 191 territories were able to watch the action on digital and other platforms.
Some 3,800 volunteers also made a major contribution to the success and smooth running of the event by assisting athletes and spectators. Meanwhile, some 80,000 local schoolchildren attended the YOG and had a go at some of the sports thanks to the “En Jeux!” programme. Every evening thousands flocked to the Medal Plaza in the heart of the Olympic Capital to soak up the atmosphere and watch the athletes receive their medals in a great festival of sport, youth and culture.
With events taking place in three regions of Switzerland – Vaud, Valais, Graubünden – and neighbouring France, these Games also delivered on the vision of our Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which are having a profound effect on the YOG and the Olympic Games.
Thanks to these reforms, Lausanne did not have to build any new venues for the Games. The luge and bobsleigh events took place in St Moritz at the world’s last remaining outdoor natural sliding centre that hosted the sliding events at the 1928 and 1948 editions of the Olympic Winter Games. Meanwhile, the speed skaters raced across a frozen lake in glorious sunshine.
In the city of Lausanne itself, existing venues such as the Vaudoise Aréna were renovated and new venues such as the Vortex, which served as the Youth Olympic Village, were planned as part of the city’s long-term sustainability and legacy plans and will now become home to students at the University of Lausanne.
The Winter YOG Lausanne 2020 could serve as a blueprint for the organisation of future editions of the YOG and indeed the Olympic Games. Buoyed by the success of Lausanne 2020, all eyes are now turning to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which promise to be inspirational too as they bring the athletes of the world together in the spirit of unity and peaceful competition.
The year 2020 began with a thrilling start and promises to be an exciting Olympic year for the IOC and sport, and we look forward to sharing it with you.