The life of Choi Yeonu, a schoolgirl from Gangwon Province in the Republic of Korea, was changed by the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. “I sung with a choir at the event, and I was so inspired by the Olympic spirit,” she said.

A colourful Closing Ceremony in Lausanne’s Flon area featured stunning performances by local youth, along with the extinguishing of the Olympic flame and the ceremonial flag handover to the next Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) host.

Double Olympic gold medallist Tina Maze knows how fundamental the Winter Youth Olympic Games are for the development of young competitors. 

Purpose-built to host the speed skating events during the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, the Richmond Olympic Oval has become an international centre of excellence for sport, health and wellness, culture and community recreation. Today, it is used by the local community and high-performance athletes.

A little rough and tumble is an expected feature of short track speed skating as athletes vie for position on the ice. Arms and elbows can land in some pretty painful places.

As a new wave of young athletes are welcomed to the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Lausanne 2020, we look back on a hugely successful first week at the YOG.

Besides competing, athletes can benefit from workshops and activities to learn how to manage their future sports career with regard to media, health and doping issues.

Do not quit, focus on the effort not the result, always cultivate interests outside sport and remember: you are a role model.

In between competitions, athletes at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Lausanne are also actively taking part in activities aimed at providing them with useful information on issues that they are or will be facing during their careers. One series of activities being run as part of the “Believe in Sport” campaign has been specifically designed to raise awareness about the threat of competition manipulation among athletes, their entourages and officials. 

Only three players and a goalie are allowed on the ice at any time but that is not the only unusual thing about the debut...