Lausanne, also known as the “Olympic Capital”, has been the home of the modern Olympic Movement for more than a hundred years. Today, more than 50 international sporting organizations call this region their home. Because of that, sport and the positive values that it carries has become a part of Switzerland’s DNA.
Therefore, delivering the Youth Olympic Games' vision to inspire the youth of the world to adopt and live according to the Olympic values of Respect, Friendship and Excellence right from the heart of the Olympic Capital was an idea that made a lot of sense for the people of the city, the region and of Switzerland as a whole.
In 2020, Lausanne and Switzerland want to capture this special Olympic heritage, and with their strong international sports expertise and capacity to innovate, redefine it and update it with the youth of the world to provide the next generation with a brand new and refreshed ownership of the Olympic values.
The event will take place in and around Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva, and in the nearby Vaud Alps. The Youth Olympic Village will be located in the heart of the city’s 35,000 student university campus. Imagine the Youth Olympic Games here!
The mascot is called Yodli, a hybrid animal, composed of several emblematically Swiss animals that live in the Swiss mountains: a cow, a goat and of course a St Bernard dog. Their different characteristics and relationships with the environment are embodied in Yodli, who signifies the diversity of the participants of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020.
The Lausanne 2020 sports programme will feature ski mountaineering for the first time in Winter Olympic history. The lung-busting new addition involves scaling mountains on skis (or carrying them depending on the severity of the ascent), before skiing back down.
Some fresh, new disciplines have also been introduced to reflect innovation and ensure gender equality. After its thrilling debut at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, big air is now coming to the YOG.
Following the success of other short sports formats at the YOG, such as 3x3 basketball and hockey5s, Lausanne 2020 will see the addition of the innovative 3x3 ice hockey format.
There will also be the addition of two new events for women: doubles luge and Nordic combined. These two events will help to achieve perfect gender balance at Lausanne 2020.
