Lausanne, September 4th, 2019 – From September 3rd to 4th, the Organising Committee of Lausanne 2020 held the Chefs de Mission seminar in Lausanne for the 109 representatives of the 75 National Olympic Committees aiming to compete in the Winter Youth Olympic Games next January.
This was a key event in the lead up to Lausanne 2020. A total of 75 delegations visited Lausanne and its Olympic venues for the last time before the Winter Youth Olympic Games kick off in January. The seminar consisted of two days of meetings aimed at providing all participating NOCs with practical information which they will then share with their countries’ athletes and sports federations. Plenary sessions were held at all locations on the future Youth Olympic Village campus, just a stone’s throw from the Lausanne 2020 spectacular ring-shaped residential area, "Vortex".
Representatives were able to familiarise themselves with the campus and its facilities, for example, testing out the campus’s dining hall. They also had the chance to meet the heads of each competition site as well as the various venue management and sport teams. They also had opportunities to ask questions and discuss with each of the Lausanne 2020 departments. Several smaller groups were then formed, and the representatives were able to visit some of Lausanne 2020’s hosting sites.
The representatives of the 75 NOCs attended several information sessions organised on the campus of the University of Lausanne, a stone's throw from the Vortex and in the heart of the future Youth Olympic Village.
Many of Lausanne 2020’s partners provided their support for the organisation of the seminar. Lausanne’s public transport system (tl), Lausanne Tourisme, the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), the Olympic Museum, the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the SBB were key players in the delivery of this event.
Virginie Faivre, President of Lausanne 2020: "Welcoming the Olympic family in Lausanne this week has been an amazing experience, one which will repeat itself in just a few months! Our discussions with the NOC representatives present were very positive. We’ve taken all of their great feedback into account and will continue working hard to welcome them back under the best conditions in January."
Ian Logan, CEO of Lausanne 2020: "We are very honoured to have been able to share our vision for Lausanne 2020 with those NOCs who will send athletes here next January. Our intention is to deliver Games in a new way, and to be true incubators of new ideas for the Olympic movement. Together with the Chefs de Mission from around the world I am sure that we will achieve our goals and host an incredible event. The enthusiasm the NOCs have shown us is truly the greatest reward and motivation for our teams in the Organising Committee as well as our partners. We look forward to welcoming the Olympic family back in January!"
Corinne Staub, Chef de Mission of the Swiss Olympic Youth Team 2020: "We are looking forward to these games "at home". Another milestone has been reached with the Chefs de Mission seminar. We received a lot of information and visited the infrastructure, which is very important for the rest of our preparations. It is now up to us to create the best possible conditions for our athletes."
Lynn Wentand, USA NOC representative: "The area is beautiful and we are looking forward to bring our athletes here. The presentations we got were very detailed-oriented. The Organising commitee understands our requirements – we are grateful for that!"
Kang Wang, Chinese NOC representative: "Everything was very well organised and we are happy to be here with the Olympic family. It means a lot for our athletes to come to Lausanne, to the Olympic Capital."
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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