Swiss Olympic - "Lausanne 2020": Less Than 1'000 Days to Go!

In less than 1'000 days, on January 10, 2020, Switzerland will celebrate the opening of the third Winter Youth Olympic Games of "Lausanne 2020". Preparation work is going smoothly since the summer of 2015, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Switzerland as the host of the Winter Youth Games in 2020.

The Youth Olympic Games, as conceived by the IOC, relies on three pillars: Compete, Learn & Share. Therefore, in 2020, Switzerland will not only organise sporting competitions of a high quality for the youth coming from all around the world (15-18 years old), but it will also promote the educational and cultural aspects of sport. All of this comes with the objective to promote Switzerland’s exceptional assets in terms of education, hosting and sport expertise here and throughout the world. This is what Lausanne 2020’s ambition is all about.

"Olympism in Switzerland is more alive than ever before. The organisation of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games strengthens the centrality of the Olympic values and the sporting tradition of our country", explains the President of Swiss Olympic, Jürg Stahl. "Swiss Olympic plans to cease this incredible opportunity to give greater visibility and strength to its various programmes. These Games have the capacity to develop competences to train not only the next generation of Swiss elite athletes, but also the managers and leaders of sport in our country!"

Patrick Baumann, President of the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee and Swiss IOC Member: "Whilst this milestone of 1’000 days is largely symbolic, it also gives us the opportunity to update our status on the advancement of the preparation work and to detail even more our vision, which is to promote the Swiss know-how in terms of education and apprenticeship through this event. On this note, we are already working with the Canton de Vaud’s renowned institutions such as EPFL, the University of Lausanne and the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, who – with their students – help us to create an innovative event that will truly engage with the youth."

Regarding sporting legacy, some concrete elements are planned at the Diablerets, in Leysin and at the Brassus, where Swiss-Ski wishes to create training infrastructures to develop the next generations of skiers from the French-speaking part of Switzerland. On another note, the construction of the Vortex, the incredible Youth Olympic Village which will host 1'700 athletes and their staff in a unique structure forming the shape of a ring, has already started.

In the upcoming months, the organising committee will continue to plan, in order to reach its objective to create an innovative and educational Olympic event.

For more information, please contact:

Swiss Olympic:

Alexander Wäfler, Head of Media and Information, Tel: Tel: +41 31 359 72 16

Email: alexander.waefler@swissolympic.ch

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