On 12 December 2008 Innsbruck was given the honour of hosting the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012 by the largest majority in the history of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – 85 votes to 14. On 15 January 2009 the Host City Contract was signed, confirming that Innsbruck would play host to the first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games.

After having been awarded the Games in December 2008, the successful Innsbruck 2012 Bid Committee was transformed into the Innsbruck Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (IYOGOC), which was then registered under Austrian law as a 'Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH)' – a company with limited liability – with the official name 'Innsbruck-Tirol Olympische Jugendspiele 2012 GmbH'. The three stakeholders are the Provincial Government of Tyrol (45%), Innsbruck City Council (45%) and the Austrian Olympic Committee (10%). The entire organisation process is monitored by a Supervisory Board, which is responsible for supporting the public entities. A professional team headed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) handles the day-to-day management of the IYOGOC and ensures the Games are organised according to the official Games Concept. In addition, the IYOGOC also acts as an interface between the IOC and the Innsbruck City Council. In order to ensure that existing knowledge is used to the full, the Olympic Forum Tyrol 2012 was also founded, a platform bringing together experts from a range of different fields including politics, the military, tourism and higher education.

To ensure that the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games are organised and implemented efficiently and effectively, the Innsbruck Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee is divided into departments, which themselves each cover a range of functional areas. The IYOGOC also offers youngsters and students the chance to work as interns or Volunteers and experience what it is like to organise a major sporting even.