INNSBRUCK, Jan 22 - As the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games wrap up, it is time to pass on the baton to Lillehammer, Norway, that in four years will host the second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Lillehammer was officially awarded the Games on December 7, 2011 and it will host the 2nd Winter Youth Olympic Games, from February 26 to March 6, 2016.
Lillehammer hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1994.

These Games were known as the first “green” Olympics, a legacy that has been continuing since then.

Twenty two years after the Olympic Flame left Lillehammer, the Olympic family will return to the city, this time to be a part of the Winter Youth Olympics.

Siri HATLEN (NOR), Chairman of the soon-to-be-formed organising committee for the Lillehammer Games, was in Innsbruck to witness the Games and take back important observations.

“I am very glad to have had the opportunity to visit the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. I will go home with a broader knowledge of what the YOG is about and how it can be executed.”

Karette Wang SANDBU (NOR), a member of the Norwegian National Olympic Committee, was here as a secondee along with four other colleagues.

She worked within, and as a part, of the Innsbruck Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (IYOCOG) to observe and prepare a report with recommendations and suggestions.

“Speaking for myself and others as well, I think we learnt a lot. It is just a matter of getting the perspective of how to host such an event based on youth. Lillehammer and Norway have great experience in hosting the Olympics as well as other big events, but of course Youth Olympics are different,” SANDBU said.

With Lillehammer hosting the second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games, it will all be about adapting and enhancing the concept of the Games in a small town.

“Lillehammer is quite a small city. It is definitely not feasible to do a ‘copy-paste’ of the Innsbruck Games. There is always a need to adapt to the culture of the city in which the Games are held. But what we are definitely taking home is the inspiration, the vibe, the spirit of the YOG DNA,” SANDBU added.

The Culture and Education Programme (CEP) is something both HATLEN and SANDBU are inspired by.

“I especially want to emphasise my appreciation of the Culture and Education Programme. It brings a new element to the Olympic experience, and makes Youth Olympic Games unique in the world of sport,” HATLEN said.

“I think it is the abundance of the different programmes at the CEP that attracted me the most. I really liked the fact that the local youth could come in and participate as well. It was a good mix of the world culture and local culture”, SANDBU.

As the curtains draw on Innsbruck, it is Lillehammer’s turn to shine.

“I hope the Games in Lillehammer can contribute to the development of a new generation of athletes, coaches, volunteers, leaders and judges in 2016,” HATLEN said.

IOC Young Reporter Sonali Prasad