U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announces 96-member 2020 U.S. Youth Olympic Team

The team will compete in Lausanne, Switzerland, from Jan. 9-22

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced the 96-member U.S. Youth Olympic Team that will compete at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 from Jan. 9-22 in the Olympic capital. The 13-day competition for athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 will feature eight sports, 16 sport disciplines and 81 medal events – including several new to an Olympic program. Team USA’s 96 athletes – 59 men and 37 women – will compete among 1,880 competitors from more than 70 nations.

"We’re excited to support this talented group of Youth Olympians as they represent Team USA in Lausanne," said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland. "These Youth Olympic Games are a great competitive opportunity for the athletes and help advance the Olympic values and encourage cultural exchange. I wish our American athletes an incredible experience, both on and off the field of play."

The Youth Olympic Games are an international multisport event held every two years, consistent with the current format of the Olympic Games. The Winter Youth Olympic Games are the second-largest multisport winter event, second only to the Olympic Winter Games. A hallmark of the event is a unique culture and education program – Learn & Share – that is designed to equip athletes with the skills they need to succeed in sports and in their daily lives.

Lausanne 2020 will mark the first Olympic event held in the city, which is home to the International Olympic Committee headquarters and more than 50 international sport federations and organizations. St. Moritz, Switzerland, the host city of the Winter Olympic Games in 1928 and 1948, will also host competitions for four sport disciplines.

The 96-member U.S. roster is comprised of 59 men and 37 women, representing Team USA in all 16 sport disciplines. The roster includes the first four Americans to represent the U.S. in an Olympic ski mountaineering competition as the sport makes its Youth Olympic Games debut: George Beck (Aspen, Colorado), Samantha Paisley (Salt Lake City, Utah), Grace Staberg (Denver, Colorado) and Jeremiah Vaille (Frisco, Colorado). As women compete in Nordic combined for the first time on any Olympic program, Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colorado) and Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, Colorado) will be representing Team USA. Women’s doubles luge is also being contested for the first time at an IOC-sanctioned event, with the U.S. team of Maya Chan (Chicago, Illinois) and Reannyn Weiler (Whitesboro, New York) sliding in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Click here to view the complete 2020 U.S. Youth Olympic Team roster.

In addition to the Youth Olympians, there are several other American athletes from Team USA travelling to Lausanne. Olympic bronze medalist Alex Deibold (snowboarding; Boulder, Colorado), national team athlete Tara Geraghty-Moats (Nordic combined and ski jumping; West Fairlee, Vermont), Olympic bronze medalist Jamie Greubel Poser (bobsled; Newtown, Pennsylvania), and two-time Olympic medalist Hannah Kearney (freestyle skiing; Norwich, Vermont) are among the 25 athletes selected by the IOC to serve as Athlete Role Models in Lausanne, where they will serve as mentors and facilitate learning activities at the Games.

Coverage of the 2020 U.S. Youth Olympic Team can be found at TeamUSA.org/Lausanne2020 and on Team USA’s social channels with the hashtags #GoTeamUSA and #Lausanne2020. Media and fans alike can also sign up to receive the Team USA Daily newsletter here.

The Games will be broadcast on Olympic Channel daily, beginning with the Opening Ceremony on Jan. 9. In addition, OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app will offer live streams, replays and highlights.

Lausanne 2020 – By the Numbers

1,880 athletes (940 young men and 940 young women) representing more than 70 National Olympic Committees

8 sports, 16 sport disciplines and 81 medal events

25 Athlete Role Models

13 competition days

8 competition venues

2 past Olympic Games hosted in Switzerland (St. Moritz, 1928 and 1948)

More than 3,000 volunteers

Team USA Notes

The full roster can be viewed here.

The 2020 U.S. Youth Olympic Team includes 96 athletes (59 men, 37 women).

Team USA will be competing in all 16 sport disciplines across eight sports.

A total of 24 states are represented (by hometown) on the U.S. roster; Colorado leads with 18 athletes, followed by New York with eight.

The youngest and oldest members on the team are 14-year-old pairs figure skater Cate Fleming (July 27, 2005; Brookline, Massachusetts) and 17-year-old ski mountaineer Grace Staberg (Jan. 3, 2002; Silverthorne, Colorado). All participating athletes must be between the ages of 15-18 as of Dec. 31, 2020.

Two athletes will be following in a family tradition of representing Team USA at the Youth Olympic Games. Freestyle skier Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colorado), who will compete in women’s halfpipe, is the younger sister of skier Birk Irving, who took home gold in the men’s halfpipe event at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer 2016. Skeleton athlete James McGuire (Queensbury, New York) is also the second in his family to compete at the Youth Olympic Games, with his sister Kalyn McGuire having competed in the sport at Lillehammer 2016, where she served as the Opening Ceremony flag bearer.

Siblings Erik and Annika Belshaw (Steamboat, California) will both join the Youth Olympic Team in Lausanne, with the two comprising half of Team USA’s ski jumping team.

Ice dancer Jeffrey Chen (Fremont, California) is the younger brother of figure skater Karen Chen, who competed in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Cross-country skier Will Koch (Peru, Vermont) is the son of Olympian Bill Koch, who won the silver medal in the men’s 30-kilometer cross-country event at the 1976 Innsbruck Games, becoming the first American Olympic medalist in the sport.

Three American Olympians will serve as coaches for the U.S. Youth Olympic Team with 2010 Olympian John Benton (Plymouth, Minnesota) supporting the Ethan Hebert (Lowell, Massachusetts) curling rink, 1988 Olympian Jon Owen (Park City, Utah) supporting the U.S. Youth Olympic Games Luge Team and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist Jarret "JJ" Thomas (Encinitas, California) supporting the American snowboard athletes.

Nine members of the U.S. Youth Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team have already committed to playing in college:

Lane Hutson (North Barrington, Illinois) – Boston University

Hunter Brzustewicz (Washington Township, Michigan), Frank Nazar (Mount Clemens, Michigan) and Casey Seamus (Estero, Florida) – University of Michigan

Lucius Cruz (Grant, Minnesota) – University of Minnesota

Isaac Howard (Hudson, Wisconsin) – University of Minnesota - Duluth

Vinny Borgesi (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – Northeastern University

Tyler Duke (Strongsville, Ohio) and Rutger McGroarty (Lincoln, Nebraska) – University of Notre Dame

Olympic bronze medalist Alex Deibold (snowboarding; Boulder, Colorado), national team athlete Tara Geraghty-Moats (Nordic combined and ski jumping; West Fairlee, Vermont), Olympic bronze medalist Jamie Greubel Poser (bobsled; Newtown, Pennsylvania), and two-time Olympic medalist Hannah Kearney (freestyle skiing; Norwich, Vermont) are among the 25 athletes selected by the International Olympic Committee to serve as Athlete Role Models in Lausanne, where they will serve as mentors and facilitate learning activities at the Games. This will mark the second time Hannah Kearney serves as an ARM, having also joined Team USA at Lillehammer 2016.

Team USA’s 2016 Olympic alternate Alison Williams (synchronized swimming; Los Angeles, California) will also travel to Lausanne, taking part in the International Olympic Committee’s athlete transition program to learn about Games-time operations to support the Olympic Movement.

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