IOC chief praises Innsbruck as Youth Olympic Games host

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Olympic Museum was buzzing with activity as gold medal skater Yuna Kim was on hand with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Dr. Jacques Rogge to welcome the latest member of the special Ambassadors for the first winter edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

Kevin Rolland, a FIS Freestyle World Ski champion from France, joins the ranks of Kim and Alpine skiers Lindsey Vonn and Benjamin Raich to mentor young athletes for Innsbruck 2012 coming up January 13-22 of next year.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Dr. Jacques Rogge expressed excitement about holding the YOG in Austria’s legendary sport city Innsbruck.

“I am very optimistic of the staging in Innsbruck for many reasons. First of all because the Austrian people love their winter sports and they know everything about them. Innsbruck is a unique setting, a wonderful city full of history and culture and also with a unique concentration of sport venues. And also we can rely on their glory of organizing in a superb way the 1964 and 1976 winter Games,” he said.

The YOG will gather 1,000 top athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 from 65 countries competing in seven sports just as the Olympic Winter Games program for Sochi 2014. A total of 63 events will be up for medals in 15 disciplines. New events this time will be ski halfpipe, snowboard slopestyle and women’s ski jumping, Sports Features reported.