| I Winter Youth Olympic Games | |
|---|---|
| Host city |  Innsbruck, Austria |
| Opening ceremony | January 13 |
| Closing ceremony | January 22 |
| Stadium | Bergisel Stadium |
The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (officially known as I Winter Youth Olympic Games) is the inaugural event of the Winter Youth Olympics. They will be celebrated from January 13 to January 22, 2012, during the XXIX Olympiad, in the city of Innsbruck, Austria.
Contents |
Bid process
The schedule was announced in January, 2008.
- March 6, 2008 – National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were to inform the IOC of the names of their candidate cities.
- May 19, 2008 – Cities submit Candidature files.
- June 2008 – IOC announces shortlist of Candidate Cities.
- July 2008 – The Evaluation Commission submits its report to the IOC Executive Board.
- August 2008 – The IOC Executive Board will submit its recommendations to the IOC members for a postal vote.
- December 12, 2008 – The host city was announced.[1]
All four applicant cities were kept as candidate cities by the IOC in August 2008. Swedish skiier Pernilla Wiberg was the Evaluation Chair for the Commission to score the applicant cities.[2] In November 2008, two cities were cut from the list, leaving[3] Innsbruck and Kuopio. On December 12, the final vote was revealed to be 84 votes to 15, with Innsbruck winning the hosting rights.[4]
| 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games bid results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOC Name | Postal votes | |||
| Innsbruck | Austria |
84 | |||
| Kuopio |  Finland |
15 | |||
Bid details
Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. AOC head Dr. Leo Wallner says the city is "predestined" to be the first host because of their experience, sport sites, and the spectacular Alps.[6] Recent experience includes the Air & Style Snowboard Contest from 1994 to 1999 and 2008, the 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2005 Winter Universiade (with Seefeld). Innsbruck's Bergisel is expected to once again be the centerpiece of the bid.
Martin Schnitzer, CEO of Innsbruck 2012, outlined Innsbruck’s plan on June 19, 2008. All the venues are concentrated in two zones in Innsbruck and Seefeld, with only two temporary structures to be built. The Culture and Education Programme has the potential to generate a "digital media phenomenon" and will be based in Innsbruck Congress Centre. Innsbruck has committed to building a new Olympic Village that will be within 15 minutes of the venues and later become much needed social housing. In addition, the Innsbruck Tyrol region has invested US$225 million in venue and infrastructure in recent years.[7]
Per the IOC report, Innsbruck was found to have a compact plan (using some venues in nearby Seefeld), strong experience and support, and a creative cultural and educational concept. The largest weakness are the plans for the Olympic Village, which will be both crowded (8:1 bed to bath ratio) and under a very tight turnaround to build, although the Austrians assure it can be completed on schedule. They have presented an alternate plan with lower bed–bath ratios (4-5:1) but which will disperse participants, which is not preferred by the IOC. The budget for the Games is US$22 million.[8]
In revealing the Finalist list, Innsbruck's bid received top accolades as the IOC evaluation suggested that "the city of Innsbruck presents the least risk to the IOC".[3]
Other candidate cities
Finalist candidate city
- Kuopio, Finland was a first time bidder.[9] A University town, Kuopio had "some risks" for the IOC in the short preparation period.[3]
Non-selected cities from the short list
Harbin, China last bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but failed to make the shortlist. Harbin is known as China's "Ice City" for its winters and associated festivals.[9] The bid had "a number of risks" due to lack of information from the bid committee.[3]
Lillehammer, Norway Host city of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The bid was not chosen because of financial risks and lack of governmental guarantees.[3]
References
- ^ IOC Announces 2012 Winter Youth Olympics Bid Process
- ^ IOC Appoints 2012 Youth Games Evaluation Chair
- ^ a b c d e Innsbruck and Kuopio Make Final Shortlist For 2012 Youth Olympic Winter Games
- ^ Innsbruck to host 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games
- ^ (German) Article on the site of the Tyrolean regional government
- ^ Innsbruck Considers 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games Bid
- ^ Innsbruck Unveils “Innovative” Plan For 2012 Youth Games
- ^ Link to IOC Report found at Olympic.org Innsbruck and Kuopio finalists for election to host the first Winter YOG in 2012
- ^ a b Four Cities Apply To Host The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games
External links
- Innsbruck 2012 official web site
- 2012 Winter Youth Olympics brochure
- 2012 Winter Youth Olympics questionnaire
| First | Winter Youth Olympic Games Innsbruck 2012 |
Succeeded by TBD |
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