English

National Olympic Committees get up to speed on Innsbruck 2012

2 min read|
Innsbruck 2012YOG

Earlier this week, representatives from the 65 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) whose athletes will be competing at the first-ever Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Innsbruck in January 2012 got a taste of what the scenic Austrian city has to offer after completing a three-day Chefs de Mission Seminar there.

The Seminar featured meetings with the Innsbruck Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, local government representatives, information sessions on a wide range of topics, Q&A sessions, and orientation tours aimed at giving the participants a detailed overview of how Innsbruck 2012 and its venues will operate at Games time.

The NOC Chefs de Mission will now transfer their knowledge back to the thousands of athletes, coaches, officiating staff and others who will attend Innsbruck 2012 from 13 to 22 January, thus completing an important milestone in the lead-up to the Games.

“This week’s meeting of the Chefs de Mission from the 65 countries that will compete at Innsbruck 2012 has been crucial to the organisation of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games. The main focus is creating an unforgettable elite sporting experience for the athletes, and this Seminar is key to helping each country prepare its team in the run-up to the Games,” said Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for Innsbruck 2012 Gian-Franco Kasper.

Young Ambassadors Also in Innsbruck this week were the 33 Young Ambassadors who will be on hand in January to support the roughly 1,000 athletes participating in the Games and to encourage them to take part in the Culture and Education Programme (CEP). The Young Ambassadors, who range in age from 18 to 25, will play an important role in increasing awareness of Innsbruck 2012 in their home countries and on social media sites.

The Young Ambassadors received five days of training — which often included some strenuous (but always fun!) mental and physical activities — aimed at giving them a better idea of how to inspire young people to get active and live by the Olympic values.