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Lausanne 2020 embraces innovation

A number of innovative concepts are at the core of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which will kick off tonight with a colourful opening ceremony in the newly built Vaudoise Aréna in Lausanne, Switzerland. 1,837 young elite athletes from 79 countries will compete in 8 sports across 16 disciplines over 13 days at 8 different sites. 

Here are our top “firsts” for this YOG edition:

  •  New sports and disciplines to feature on an Olympic programme for the first time including a mixed nationality 3-on-3 ice hockey event, women’s doubles in luge, women’s Nordic combined and ski mountaineering.
     
  •  With its strong emphasis on sustainability, Lausanne 2020 will become the first ever bi-national YOG, using existing venues and facilities not only in Switzerland, but also in neighbouring France, where the biathlon, ski jumping and Nordic combined events will be held.
     
  •  For the first time in Olympic history, the cauldron is powered with an eco-responsible fuel, using Swiss wood pellets instead of gas to fuel the flame, needing a refill only once a day.
     
  •  Athletes and officials will solely use public transport to get to the venues. To encourage fans and spectators to access sports competitions and activities by public transport, special offers are proposed.
     
  • Lausanne 2020 has introduced a new format called the “two waves” system, which allows athletes to come and go in two groups, one after the other. This will increase the number of athletes by optimising the duration of their stay. It will almost double the number of participants compared to what was originally planned. The result: more quality and more diversity, but at the same cost.
     
  • For the first time at a YOG, Lausanne 2020 will usher gender parity, with 931 men and 906 women taking part in the Games.
     
  • Over 130’000 students have actively participated in the preparation of the Games. For example, the Olympic cauldron, the medal trays as well as the podiums have all been designed by students from the Art School of Lausanne (ECAL) and then have been created by apprentices of the EDC Construction School and of C-FOR (Lausanne Utilities Training Centre). The mascot, pictograms and the visual identity of Lausanne 2020 have been entrusted to students from eracom (Ecole romande d’arts et communication).
     
  • The Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Lausanne Federal Polytechnique School (EPFL) have helped to prepare an educational programme for the YOG athletes which will allow them to learn more about health-related topics, such as concussions in sports, nutrition or stress management.

Curious to learn more? Thinksport.org will shed more light on some of these innovative concepts during the Games. Stay tuned!


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