Lausanne, September 23th, 2019 – Today, the official competition schedule of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games was released by the Organising Committee. With the first competitions kicking off in Les Diablerets, Villars and Lausanne on January 10th, 2020, the day after the Opening Ceremony in Lausanne and continuing until the Closing Ceremony on January 22nd.
The schedule is out and promises to be intense. Overall, a total of 81 competitions will be held at eight different sites over the 13 days following the Opening Ceremony. One of the main features of Lausanne 2020 will be its two-wave organisation system, an innovative solution designed to significantly increase hosting capacity by allowing each "wave" of athletes to have a shorter stay on-site. As a result, a grand total of 1880 athletes, of which a gender equal representation of 940 males and 940 females are expected to take part in the Games, allowing for exemplary diversity and a high quality of competitions.
The first wave of competitions will kick-off with alpine skiing in Les Diablerets, biathlon in Les Tuffes and ski mountaineering, which will be making its debut in the Olympic Games, in Villars. Lausanne will be the host of figure skating and mixed NOC 3-on-3 ice hockey, a new competition format proposed and developed by the International Ice Hockey Federation and Lausanne 2020. This first wave of competitions will also be marked by four days of speed skating on the frozen lake of St-Moritz.
January 16th will ring the transition to the second wave of competitions and young athletes. St-Moritz’s historic natural Olympia Bob Run will host its first luge, bobsleigh and skeleton Olympic competitions since 1948. The French station of Les Tuffes will welcome ski jumping and Nordic combined, while its Swiss neighbour, Vallée de Joux, will host cross-country skiing. Freestyle skiing and snowboard will take place in Villars and Leysin. As for Lausanne, it will stage five days of 6-team tournaments in ice hockey and the short track speed skating competitions.
Curling will run across the whole Games Time, taking place in Champéry from January 10th to 22nd. The Games will come to an end with the Closing Ceremony to be held at the Medals Plaza, in Lausanne, on January 22nd.
Lausanne 2020 is proud to be able to offer all sports competitions free of charge. In line with its commitment to sustainability, Lausanne 2020 encourages all visitors to opt for public transport to access the venues.
For the detailed competition schedule, please click here.
Virginie Faivre, President of Lausanne 2020: "As an athlete, this is when it all starts to feel real. Knowing the date, the time and the place of each competition brings an indescribable feeling of excitement. The countdown starts now and the next few months of training will be decisive. I can only wish all the young athletes and their teams the best of luck in these last moments of preparation. They can count on the amazing work of Lausanne 2020’s staff and volunteers to make these Games incredible and a memory which they will treasure forever."
Simone Righenzi, Head of Sports of Lausanne 2020: "This competition schedule is a labour of love that is three years in the making, and we have design it in the best way possible to meet the needs of every stakeholder. We are incredibly proud of the work that has been done and now that the schedule has been revealed to the public, we are looking forward to activating each competition site during Games time. We hope that audiences at home in Switzerland and abroad will enjoy the competitions and that these young athletes will be inspired to write an unforgettable page of their career."
About Lausanne 2020
The Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games will take place from 9 to 22 January 2020 with 1,880 athletes (15-18 years old) from more than 70 countries. The competitions will take place in the cantons of Vaud (Lausanne, La Vallée de Joux, Leysin, les Diablerets, Villars), Valais (Champéry), Grisons (St. Moritz) and neighbouring France (Les Rousses, Les Tuffes stadium).
For more information on Lausanne 2020, please visit www.lausanne2020.sport
Press contact Lausanne 2020
Johanna Massuyeau – johanna.massuyeau@lausanne2020.sport
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