ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

The 2020 Winter Youth Olympics

The 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, officially known as Losanna 2020 and also referred to as Lausanne 2020, were the third edition of the Youth Olympic Winter Games and the sixth edition of the Youth Olympic Games. The games took place in two host cities: Lausanne, Switzerland, and Brașov, Romania.

Lausanne was designated as the organizing city on September 1, 1993, after a nomination process that began with the signing of the application procedure for the organisation of the OJJ (Olympic Youth Games) in 2013. The city confirmed its candidacy on January 1, 2014, and subsequently submitted its bid to host the games.

The selection of Lausanne as the host city was finalized at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015, with a majority vote of 71-10. The city's winning bid was seen as a significant milestone for the Youth Olympic Games, which aimed to promote youth sports and development.

The games featured eight sports and sixteen disciplines, including ice hockey, figure skating, short track, skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, and curling. A total of 81 events took place during the competition, with 13 mixed team events, 34 men's events, and 34 women's events.

The games also marked a significant milestone for several National Olympic Committees (NOCs), as twelve new NOCs made their Winter Youth Olympics debut: Albania, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Haiti, Hong Kong, Kosovo, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turkmenistan. These countries joined the existing NOCs that had previously participated in the games.

The 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games took place from February 2 to 12, 2020, with events held at various venues across Lausanne and Brașov. The games were a success, showcasing the talents of young athletes from around the world and promoting the values of the Olympic Movement.