Norway welcomed the world’s sporting teenagers to the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games with a Scandinavian fairytale at the the Opening Ceremony. Competitors aged from 15 to 18 took part in an informal athletes’ parade for the 10-day Games which included around 1,100 athletes from 71 countries competing in 70 medal events.
Gary Skinner, Ireland’s only athlete carried the Irish Flag with pride at the opening ceremony for this the second Winter Youth Olympic Games. Ireland’s Flag flew proudly for 10 days in Norway.
Gary competed in 4 Alpine Ski disciplines at the Games – Super Giant Slalom (SG), Alpine Combined (AC),
Giant Slalom (GS), Slalom (SL). https://olympics.ie/sports/snowsports/14254-skinner-29th-in-yog-combined-slalom.html
Gary is from Terenure in Dublin and he started to ski at the age of 5 years with his family. He took an interest in racing at the age of 11.
“Lillehammer 2016” was the name of the fourth Youth Olympic Games and it wass only the second Winter Youth Olympic Games ever. The vision of the Games is to inspire young people around the world to participate in sports and live by the Olympic values.
The vision of Lillehammer 2016 is also to make an educational difference in the life of the young athletes. The Learn & Share activities will inspire and empower the youth in order to enable them to Go beyond. Create tomorrow.
The Youth Olympic Games are essentially about competing, learning and sharing. They are a celebration of sport, youth diversity and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. They also exemplify the fundamental principles of Olympism, blending sport with culture and education. Learn & Share was a unique once-in-a-lifetime experience to acquire new sports and life skills. A large part of the Learn & Share activities was made of core educational activities happening mainly in the Youth Olympic Villages (YOV) in Lillehammer and Hamar. This fundamental component of the YOG offered a unique opportunity to share experiences for the young athletes and other participants, equipping them with the key skills to become champions on the field of play and life champions off the field of play.
An inspiring Closing Ceremony took place last evening, 21st February and Gary and team will arrive back in Dublin after an amazing Games this morning