Acting ANOC President Robin Mitchell today praised the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Organising Committee for delivering an outstanding event that provided the perfect environment in which young athletes, from a record number of National Olympic Committees (NOCs), could compete.

Nearly 2,000 athletes aged 15 to 18, from 79 NOCs, took part in the Winter YOG – a 40% increase in the number of athletes and 8 more NOCs than the number that took part in the last edition in Lillehammer. A total of 12 NOCs made their Winter YOG debuts: Albania; Azerbaijan; Ecuador; Haiti; Hong Kong, China; Kosovo; Pakistan; Qatar; Singapore; Thailand; Turkmenistan; and Trinidad & Tobago, reflecting the growth of winter sport in NOCs all over the world.

Over the course of the Winter YOG, 640,000 spectators enjoyed the events at the Lausanne 2020 venues and “Lausanne en Jeux” festival – the cultural programme of the event. The Lausanne en Jeux, located in the heart of Lausanne, showcased more than 250 performances, workshops and exhibitions and gave locals the chance to try out winter sports, as it aimed to bring together culture and sport.

ANOC Acting President Robin Mitchell commented:

“The Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games has been a fantastic success and on behalf of ANOC and the NOCs I would like to thank the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee and the IOC for delivering such an outstanding event. Young athletes from a record number of NOCs from all around the world have taken part to create a fantastic atmosphere of elite sport and shared Olympic values.

“The YOG has always been about more than sport and in Lausanne we have once again witnessed how the event provides the perfect platform for innovation and education. Athletes have competed in many innovative sports events, providing a testing ground for their potential inclusion in future competitions. We have seen pioneering sustainability initiatives that will leave a lasting legacy for the city and region. And we have seen how sport can educate and teach young people positive values and life skills that will equip them in their futures in and out of sport.”

Lausanne 2020 has continued the YOG’s commitment to providing valuable education to participating athletes. The IOC Safe Sport Booths offered education activities on safeguarding tailored for YOG athletes, while the Athlete365 Awareness Zone also provided education on topics such as prevention of competition manipulation, anti-doping and sporting and non-sporting career development.

About ANOC

The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) was established in June 1979 during the Constitutive General Assembly in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over the last 40 years, the number of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) whose interests ANOC represents has risen to 206.

ANOC is administered from its headquarters in the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, where it has been based since June 2010. ANOC strives to protect and promote the collective interests of the NOCs by delivering an unprecedented level of assistance and support. ANOC also aims to build and strengthen the relationships between the NOCs and the Olympic Family for the benefit of the entire Olympic Movement.

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