The Coordination Commission of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games ended its first visit to Innsbruck Wednesday, ten months after it was announced the city would be hosting the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012.
The commission visited all the venues for the Youth Games in Innsbruck and Seefeld that will stage the 63 events in seven sports.
Gian-Franco Kasper, Chairman of the Coordination Commission, said, “we are impressed with the progress of preparations and the quality of the venues to be used for the Youth Olympic Games. IYOGOC (Innsbruck Organising Committee) is very much on track with the involvement of all local authorities through the Olympic Forum Tirol”.
The Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympic Village concept defines the location of dining facilities and services for NOC delegations at the Innsbruck Congress Centre alongside the Culture and Education Programme (CEP) activities. The members of the commission say they are convinced that this combination of facilities will foster a sociable and highly interactive atmosphere where athletes will be able to live together and learn in optimal conditions.
According to the IOC, one of the greatest challenges will be the timely construction of the apartment buildings that will constitute the residential zone of the Youth Olympic Village. The project will require close monitoring and collaboration between the Organizing Committee and the developers to ensure that construction and planning are well integrated.
Kasper said, “presentations were of a high standard and we have the feeling that our partners in Innsbruck have well understood the mission entrusted to them. With only two years to go before the opening of the Games, we will have to keep up both pace and vigilance with regards to preparations”.
The youth Games are a 10-day event featuring about 1,000 athletes ages 14-18 competing in seven sports – skiing, ice hockey, biathlon, bobsled, curling, luge and figure skating.
