LAUSANNE 2020 MARKS 100 DAYS TO GO!
Today marked exactly 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. An international Olympic sporting event of the highest level for athletes aged 15 to 18, these games combine sports performance, culture and education in an authentic celebration of sport with a festive atmosphere.
The aim is to encourage young people to adopt and represent the positive values of sport – respect for others, for themselves and for our environment; friendship between people and cultures; and, excellence in self-giving – and to become sports ambassadors throughout the world.
In 2020, Lausanne is seeking to create a new sports platform for young people by actively involving them in the preparation and organisation of the event. This means engaging the local, regional and even national population around a unique, unifying occasion, that seeks to create a better world.
Virginie Faivre, President of the Lausanne 2020 Organizing Committee, said, “For Lausanne 2020 it was incredibly important that thesegames be created by young people, for young people and with young people. Their involvement and leadership have allowed our event to bring a new approach to hosting the Games, to engaging with new talents and new ambassadors and showcasing a new side of Switzerland! It starts now and we cannot wait to share these fantastic games with the world – see you all in just 100 days.”
Lausanne 2020 Games will feature 8 sports and 16 disciplines, including ski mountaineering and women’s Nordic combined that will be featured for the first time in an Olympic event. In addition, a mixed-NOC 3-on-3 ice hockey tournament and a women’s doubles event in luge will also be contested for the first time at these Games. The competition schedule has been announced, and Lausanne 2020 is proud to be offering access to all competition events for free. Indoor competitions will also be free but will require prior registration.
Ian Logan, CEO of the Lausanne 2020 Organizing Committee, said, “These games have been more than three years in the making and now with only 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony, we can feel the excitement around us. The Lausanne 2020 team has been working day and night to ensure that these Games leave a great legacy, working with our partners in each of the host sites as well as our incredible sponsors we are sure to host both a top level sporting event and also sports festival that will allow athletes and spectators to celebrate around the competitions.”
Since September 21st, the Lausanne 2020 Olympic Flame has embarked on a tour across the country during which it will visit all 26 cantons of Switzerland before returning to Lausanne for a relay in the run up to the Opening Ceremony of the Games on January 9th, 2020.
