INNSBRUCK, Jan 12 - Making friends and staying in contact during the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games is easier than ever thanks to the Yogger, a USB key that allows Innsbruck Games participants to connect.

Some 1600 Yoggers, which combines a USB key with social media functions, will be made available, allowing users to register for workshops in the Culture and Education Programme (CEP), make YOG Friends and share personal information in a safe way.

YOG Friends will be able to use the Yogger as a personal business card, going into as much, or as little detail, as they feel like, and also giving details of their social media profiles after physically connecting with someone else's Yogger.

Sarah CRUMBACH of the IOC believes the Yogger is an extension of what the young athletes would be doing naturally.

"It's an electronic handshake, and there are no language barriers to forming friendships via Yogger," she said.

"This is also a great alternative to the giveaways at many of these events. It saves a lot of space by providing them with the sort of information that can be explored in a medium that they're more comfortable with."

"We really hope to grow a strong YOG community through this technology."

Once registered, athletes can access the Yogger website and curate their profile, visit their friends' profiles and even export their contacts to Outlook if they want to.

The dashboard presents their activities and friendships in the form of a timeline, making the Yogger a handy diary of the Youth Olympics experience, from making friends to participating in CEP workshops such as Be The Chef!, where the recipes created by participants are available for future use.

Other features include access to the Athletes' Challenge widget, the competition schedule, plus the Twitter stream and Flickr account of the Games.

The website is available in the four most popular languages of the Innsbruck Games: English, French, German and Russian.

So far, some 800 participants in the Innsbruck Games have 'yogged on' and there are 100-plus new users every day.

Athletes are being encouraged to attach their Yogger to their accreditation and to register for CEP events via the special tags installed in Yogger booths throughout Congress Innsbruck.

Asked about using Yogger during the Games, Freestyle competitor (Halfpipe Snowboard) Arielle GOLD (USA) was enthusiastic.

"It's a great way to meet new people and get to know them better," she said.

"It's also a good excuse to walk up to people and introduce yourself and it makes it easier to find people on social media, because it shows the info directly."

Fellow athlete Aaron BLUNCK (USA), who will compete in Freestyle (Halfpipe Skiing), was straight to the point.

"Yep, it's sweet."

YIS sco/lm/rm