As the home of the International Olympic Committee, the Swiss city of Lausanne may be known as the Olympic capital, but it has been over 70 years since Switzerland itself last hosted any Olympic competitions.
The Alpine resort of St Moritz was the host city of the Olympic Winter Games in 1928 and 1948, but Swiss fans have had to wait almost 72 years for the Olympic flame to return.
The long wait will finally be over in 100 days’ time, when the Winter YOG Lausanne 2020 begin, with events being held in the Olympic capital, across Switzerland and even in neighbouring France.
Lausanne will host ice hockey, short-track speed skating and figure skating, while Alpine skiing, ski mountaineering, freestyle skiing and snowboarding will take place in the Vaud Alps.
Curling will be held in Champéry in the canton of Valais, with cross-country skiing taking place in the Vallée de Joux, and Les Tuffes in France playing host to ski jumping, biathlon and Nordic combined.
St Moritz will also add to its special Olympic heritage by staging bobsleigh, skeleton, luge and speed skating.
Located in the Upper Engadin, in the south-eastern canton of Graubünden, the two-time Olympic host city is one of the most famous winter destinations in the world, having welcomed tourist visitors since 1864 and, along with Innsbruck and Lake Placid, it is one of only three cities to have twice hosted the Olympic Winter Games.
In both 1928 and 1948, the renowned Cresta Run natural toboggan track was used for the skeleton events, while the Olympia Bob Run – the oldest bobsleigh track in the world – hosted the bobsleigh.
In January next year, the Olympia Bob Run will once again stage Olympic events, with the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton all set to be contested on the historic track.
And according to Martin Berthod, the head of Lausanne 2020’s host site in St Moritz, the events will provide a fantastic opportunity to share the venue’s unique history and tradition with a new generation.
“During the 1928 and 1948 Olympic Winter Games, the disciplines of ice sports, bobsleigh and skeleton were already an important part of the programme. The Olympia Bob Run, the world’s last natural ice bobsleigh track, is the annual World Cup meeting point for the world’s best athletes in these attractive sports,” he says.
“For the first time in the history of the Youth Olympic Games, the competitions will be held only on natural ice, with bobsleigh, skeleton, and luge on the natural bobsleigh track, and speed skating on the frozen lake of St Moritz. This culture and tradition will be experienced closely by the qualified teams and will remain as great memories.”
And now, as the countdown to the Winter YOG Lausanne 2020 continues, there are just 100 days to go until brand new Youth Olympic memories begin to be made across the nation.
