(ATR) The International Olympic Committee says preparations in Lausanne for the third Winter Youth Olympic Games are satisfactory.
The IOC concluded its two-day coordination commission visit on Thursday following a debriefing from the previous Winter Youth Olympic hosts Lillehammer 2016 at the beginning of the week.
"Lausanne 2020 has learned from the success of Lillehammer 2016 and is putting the Swiss expertise in sport, education and innovation at the heart of the project to ensure the young participants will be motivated and inspired," said Lausanne 2020 CoComm chair Danka Bartekova.
The University of Lausanne hosted the debriefing and will also house athletes and officials during the Games in its new student accommodations planned for the YOG.
The biggest piece of advice from Lillehammer 2016 to Lausanne organizers is to include youth in all aspects of the organizing committee including management positions, according to Lillehammer 2016 chief executive Tomas Holmestad.
"If it is one thing we learned it’s that you can never underestimate what the youth can actually deliver and create," Holmestad told Around the Rings.
Since becoming the Lausanne 2020 chief executive in March 2016, Ian Logan is working to implement this strategy within the organizing committee. The IOC says the core team has an average age under 30 years old and the Logan has appointed a youth and athlete council to guide the organizers.
Lausanne 2020 president Patrick Baumann says the future looks bright for the YOG with the Olympic capital’s preparations for the Games in full swing.
"These are fascinating times for the Youth Olympic Games," Baumann said in a statement. "Switzerland, as a strong winter sports nation, has everything it needs to organize fantastic Games. So our work now focuses on putting all these skills together to deliver not only a great event in 2020, but also one that can also push some of the innovations presented by the IOC at its last Session for the future of the Games."
The third Winter Youth Olympics will be staged from Jan. 10-19, 2020.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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