I Winter Youth Olympic Games
Host city	Innsbruck, Austria
Opening ceremony	January 13
Closing ceremony	January 22
Stadium	Bergisel Stadium

The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (officially known as I Winter Youth Olympic Games) is the inaugural event of the Winter Youth Olympics. They will be celebrated from January 13 to January 22, 2012, during the XXIX Olympiad, in the city of Innsbruck, Austria.

[edit] Bid process

The schedule was announced in January, 2008.

• March 6, 2008 – National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were to inform the IOC of the names of their candidate cities.
• May 19, 2008 – Cities submit Candidature files.
• June 2008 – IOC announces shortlist of Candidate Cities.
• July 2008 – The Evaluation Commission submits its report to the IOC Executive Board.
• August 2008 – The IOC Executive Board will submit its recommendations to the IOC members for a postal vote.
• December 12, 2008 – The host city was announced.^[1]

All four applicant cities were kept as candidate cities by the IOC in August 2008. Swedish skiier Pernilla Wiberg was the Evaluation Chair for the Commission to score the applicant cities.^[2] In November 2008, two cities were cut from the list, leaving^[3] Innsbruck and Kuopio. On December 12, the final vote was revealed to be 84 votes to 15, with Innsbruck winning the hosting rights.^[4]

2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games bid results
City	NOC Name	Postal votes
Innsbruck	Austria	84
Kuopio	Finland	15

[edit] Bid details

Bergisel

Innsbruck, site of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games

• Innsbruck, Austria ^[5]

Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. AOC head Dr. Leo Wallner says the city is "predestined" to be the first host because of their experience, sport sites, and the spectacular Alps.^[6] Recent experience includes the Air & Style Snowboard Contest from 1994 to 1999 and 2008, the 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2005 Winter Universiade (with Seefeld). Innsbruck's Bergisel is expected to once again be the centerpiece of the bid.

Martin Schnitzer, CEO of Innsbruck 2012, outlined Innsbruck’s plan on June 19, 2008. All the venues are concentrated in two zones in Innsbruck and Seefeld, with only two temporary structures to be built. The Culture and Education Programme has the potential to generate a "digital media phenomenon" and will be based in Innsbruck Congress Centre. Innsbruck has committed to building a new Olympic Village that will be within 15 minutes of the venues and later become much needed social housing. In addition, the Innsbruck Tyrol region has invested US$225 million in venue and infrastructure in recent years.^[7]

Per the IOC report, Innsbruck was found to have a compact plan (using some venues in nearby Seefeld), strong experience and support, and a creative cultural and educational concept. The largest weakness are the plans for the Olympic Village, which will be both crowded (8:1 bed to bath ratio) and under a very tight turnaround to build, although the Austrians assure it can be completed on schedule. They have presented an alternate plan with lower bed–bath ratios (4-5:1) but which will disperse participants, which is not preferred by the IOC. The budget for the Games is US$22 million.^[8]

In revealing the Finalist list, Innsbruck's bid received top accolades as the IOC evaluation suggested that "the city of Innsbruck presents the least risk to the IOC".^[3]

[edit] Other candidate cities

[edit] Finalist candidate city

• Kuopio, Finland was a first time bidder.^[9] A University town, Kuopio had "some risks" for the IOC in the short preparation period.^[3]

[edit] Non-selected cities from the short list

• Harbin, China last bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics, but failed to make the shortlist. Harbin is known as China's "Ice City" for its winters and associated festivals.^[9] The bid had "a number of risks" due to lack of information from the bid committee.^[3]
• Lillehammer, Norway Host city of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The bid was not chosen because of financial risks and lack of governmental guarantees.^[3]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Innsbruck 2012 official web site
• 2012 Winter Youth Olympics brochure
• 2012 Winter Youth Olympics questionnaire