Articles & Publications
YOG Lausanne 2020 – 10 years Youth Olympic Games
YOG Lausanne 2020 – 10 years Youth Olympic Games
A 10-year youth Olympic journey has reached its third winter edition in Lausanne from 9th to 22nd January 2020. There has been a vivid symbolism behind Lausanne 2020 which lies to the fact that it was held in a year that marks the 10th anniversary of the 1st YOG in Singapore, with the former IOC President, Dr Jacques Rogge, the “father” of the Youth Olympic Games, stating back then: “If the Youth Olympic Games can help provide the world’s youth, one athlete at a time, with a path to a better, brighter, healthier future, we will have succeeded. And very soon the Youth Olympic Games will become as much an indispensable fixture of the Olympic calendar as its ‘grown-up’ brothers’’.Indeed, the Youth Olympic Games have laid down their own pathway and created history in the Olympic course from Asia to Europe and South America with next stop in Africa. This newly established institution has been conceived not only as “a stepping stone for young athletes striving to compete at an Olympic proper...” (Independent, 2010), but mainly, as Dr Jacques Rogge clearly pointed out, from the very beginning: “The concept was that YOG would be more than just an athletic competition, they would be an educational experience, too”. Education and culture are an essential part of the aims of YOG and the current IOC President, Dr Thomas Bach stresses also this importance, during his speech at the opening ceremony of YOG in Lausanne: “You will become more familiar with the Olympic Values and you will live these Olympic Values, by respecting yourself, by respecting your competitors, by respecting the rules and by competing with fair play”.A total of 1,872 young athletes, where for the first time there was equality in the number of men and women, from 79 countries took part in sports in eight competition venues in two countries (Switzerland and France). Apart from the competitions, where 640,000 spectators attended along with 80,000 schoolchildren, there was a huge success in the organization of the “En Jeux” festivals at the venues as well as in the city of Lausanne. Following the same pattern as the one of Buenos Aires, local people were brought to the venues and walked around the streets of Lausanne in order to be part of the YOG celebrations. In the centre of Lausanne, there were over 250 workshops, exhibitions and activities along with sport events for the athletes and the public, bringing sport and culture together. The upgraded IOA interactive programme “Discovering the Olympic Values” was present once more with its educational activities, along with the International Olympic Truce Centre in the heart of Lausanne this time, in the Flon district, near the medal Plaza, where the medal ceremonies were held every evening. Hundreds of athletes, trainers, locals, people of all ages and backgrounds visited the IOA booth and took part in its educational activities. Through amusing knowledge games, quizzes, puzzles and videos they were able to explore the history, the philosophy, the values and ideals of the Olympic Movement.Schools from Lausanne and other swiss cities had had the chance to register in order to participate in the “En jeux” festival and its activities and the IOA booth was a hit with students from 4 to 18 years old. On a daily basis, we welcomed little ones who attend kindergarten to primary and high school students. All visitors could benefit in an entertaining and at the same time educational way from the IOA activities whichwere adapted according to their age and level of knowledge.The booth was also visited by many IOA friends, from people who have participated in the IOA Sessions in the past, to former students, lecturers, or simply people who wish to visit the Academy in the future in order to participate in one of our Sessions. Among the eminent personalities of the Olympic Movement who paid a visit to the IOA booth and supported us with their presence were the IOC President Dr Thomas Bach accompanied by his wife Claudia, Mr Sam Ramsamy, an old friend of the IOA and Honorary IOC Member, Mr Spyros Capralos, the IOC Member for Greece, Mr Lefteris Avgenakis, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports, Ms Maria Bogner, Head of the IOC Olympic Studies Centre, Mr George Georgiopoulos, the Mayor of Ancient Olympia.The Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne have been a huge success on every level. They were an impeccable sports event, optimally conceived and organized in the Olympic capital of Lausanne. But they were also an excellent platform for the celebration and propagation of the Olympic values and ideals. The “En jeux” festival that was organized in the framework of the Youth Olympic Games provided the audience with a valuable educational and cultural experience that complemented the sports part of the Games ideally.The IOA interactive educational programme “Discovering the Olympic Values” fitted perfectly into the “En jeux” project and fulfilled its purpose by offering knowledge in a fun and entertaining way and by raising awareness on issues related to the Olympic Movement. The IOA looks forward to the next edition of the Youth Olympic Games and the continuation of a tradition that has made an indelible mark on the youth and their education.
“The upgraded IOA interactive programme ‘Discovering the Olympic Values’ was present once more.”