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Gina Zehnder, Swiss figure skating athlete, lights the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games held at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
**Lausanne 2020, opened on Thursday, embraces innovations and new ideas to engage the younger generation in the Olympics. **
By sportswriters Lin Deren, Chen Junxia and Liu Qu
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- The city of Lausanne embraced a milestone on Thursday.
The 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games kicked offwith it being the first time for Lausanne to stage any version of the Olympic Games.
The city, which hosts the International Olympic Committee headquarters alongsidemanyinternational sports federations, means a lot to the world of sports. Simultaneously, with youth, sport, innovation, Olympic spirit and partnership as the keywords, the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games also means a lot to the future.
Children form the shape of Olympic Rings during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games held at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
GREEN GAMES AND NEW IDEAS
Lausanne 2020will bear witness toa lot of innovations. It's the first bi-national YOG, with several events being held across the border in the French Jura region. It's also the first time eco-friendly fuel will be used to power the cauldron. Two new sports and events, in ski mountaineering and women's Nordic combined, will appear at the Games.
What's more, a "two-wave" system will be introducedat the 2020 Games, which will see athletesattend the YOG in two groups, the first attending the Opening Ceremony and the second attending the Closing Ceremony. This approach allows for an overall increase in the number of participating athletes by taking pressure off the athletes village.
Yodli, the official mascot of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, performs during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games held at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)
Lausanne 2020 will be an incubator for "future Olympic ideas", Ian Logan, CEO of the organizing committee of Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
According to Logan, many of the developmental concepts embodied in the games will set a "new standard" for future Olympic events.
"In terms of transportation, for example, for the first time, the Lausanne youth winter Olympics will give up the use of buses and allow athletes to use public transportation to get to the venues." "It may take a little longer than the bus, but it's more 'green'," he said.
"In addition, we do not use artificial snow at the open venues, and all tracks are covered with natural snow. We'll even build tracks on the frozen lake - that's a good example of sustainability."
A seating area in the Youth Olympic Village in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)
FOR THE YOUTH
"For youth, by youth and with youth" is embodied in every part of the Games. Nearly 150,000 students from local schools, colleges and universities have so far contributed to the delivery of the Winter YOG Lausanne 2020. They have also offered help on designing the official mascot, the Olympic cauldron, the medal trays and the podiums.
Expectations to shine on this stage are high among the young athletes in attendance.
"It's my biggest competition yet," said 14-year-old Arlet Levandi from Estonia, who is participating in figure skating. "It's a big step, going from last year to this."
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (3rd L) takes selfies with athletes from the five continents during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games held at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
What's more, fifteen young reporters are in action at the Games.
"We had 34 reporters for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, and we picked the best ones to come to Lausanne," Australian ABC sports journalist Tracey Holmes said to the official website of Lausanne 2020. "By the time they come here, they're more professional, and more is expected of them. The pressure is on, and we work intensely. They also specialize more at the Winter Games, whether it's in broadcast, writing or photography.
Athletes react during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games held at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
TO BEIJING 2022
The Lausanne 2020 Games bring together about 1,900 athletes from more than 75 nations and regions competing in 81 events across eight sports.
In China it's seen as a rehearsal for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Fifty-three Chinese athletes have confirmed their participation in this year's Games, which will take place from January 9 to 22, 2020, 50% more than in Lillehammer in 2016.
Members of the delegation of China react as they enter the arena during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games held at Vaudoise Arena in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)
"We are very happy to see that so many Chinese athletes will join us to celebrate their sports in a fantastic environment, here in Switzerland," Logan said, adding that "their participation will be a great promotion for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing which will be a unique platform to promote winter sports to the Chinese people. "
"We are also delighted to welcome a large number of Chinese visitors in January. We invite them to come and encourage the young athletes who will participate in Lausanne 2020, some of whom we will probably find in Beijing in 2022!", He added.
