2020 Vision: Sports stars offer young athletes strong support
As the countdown continues to the third edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), olympic.org takes a look at the Athlete Role Models who will be on hand to help, advise and support the young athletes in Lausanne.
Young athletes competing at the Winter YOG Lausanne 2020 will not need to look far for inspiration or advice. Throughout the Games, all 1,880 participants will be able to turn to a team of renowned elite athletes for support and mentoring, including many Olympic and world champions.
Selected by the International Federations whose sports will be featured in Lausanne, these Athlete Role Models (ARMs) will be on hand to chat to the young athletes in the Youth Olympic Village, and will also share their experiences through a series of educational activities and workshops, including the hugely popular “Chat with Champions” Q&A sessions.
Among the stars to have already been announced as ARMs for Lausanne 2020 are Germany’s Olympic luge champion Tatjana Hüfner, Canada’s two-time Olympic curling gold medallist John Morris, and Olympic moguls champion Hannah Kearney, of the USA.
US Olympic bobsleigh bronze medallist Jamie Greubel Poser was among those to reveal her excitement at being announced as an ARM.
“[I’m] super excited for the opportunity to take part in the Youth Olympic Games this winter as an Athlete Role Model for the sport of bobsled,” she posted on Instagram.
“The Youth Olympic Games have the mission to empower, engage and educate young people and athletes around the world to play a positive and active role in their communities, and to adopt and live according to the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence. [I’m] looking forward to supporting and cheering on the next generation of athletes to go after their dreams!”
With the women’s Nordic combined event making its Olympic debut in Lausanne, 2018/19 Continental Cup champion Tara Geraghty-Moats of the USA will also be an ARM in Lausanne, and she revealed her pride at being chosen to mentor the trailblazing Nordic combined athletes who will compete at the YOG.
“I'm so honoured to be one of the athletes chosen by the IOC to play a key role in supporting, mentoring and offering advice to the 1,880 young athletes who will be participating in the Youth Olympic Games,” she posted on Facebook.
“It will be a dream come true to help support the Nordic combined girls as they step into history to be the first-ever female Nordic combiners.”
ARMs such as these world-class stars have played an important role in each edition of the YOG, supporting, mentoring and offering advice to young athletes since the inaugural Games in Singapore in 2010. With an incredible line-up of ARMs already announced, and even more to follow, the athletes at Lausanne 2020 will be the latest to benefit from the wisdom of this ever-evolving team of inspirational role models.