OLYMPIC REVIEW35s well as being a world-class sportingevent, the Winter Youth Olympic Gameswill also feature a unique Culture andEducation Programme (CEP) that willoffer the young athletes who gather in Innsbrucknext January the chance to learn more about theOlympic Movement and the world around them. When creating the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), theIOC's vision was to balance the sporting element ofthe event with a programme that would allow youngathletes from all over the world to experience culturaland educational activities that would engage them in a fun way. Following the success of the CEP at theinaugural YOG in Singapore last year, Innsbruck 2012will now continue the legacy by providing an innovativeCEP programme at next year's first ever Winter YOG.Gian-Franco Kasper, Chairman of the IOCCoordination Committee for the 1st Winter YouthOlympic Games, has been impressed by the plans putin place for Innsbruck 2012."The CEP will be fun, interactive and, we hope, willrespond to athletes' expectations," he explains. "Theparticipants will be given the tools to not only grow asan athlete, but also as a true ambassador of sports in their society."This multi-faceted programme will be made up ofa wide range of activities based around six separateformats: Media Lab, World Mile, Sustainability, Arts,Competence and Youth Festival. The Media Labprogramme will give athletes hands-on experience ofgenerating media content using four distinctmediums -Video & TV, Radio & Music, DigitalPhotography and the Web - and will also help themlearn how to act when they are in front of the camera.The World Mile section of the CEP will see localschools in Innsbruck pairing up with classes fromother countries in a cultural exchange project, while the Sustainability programme will includevarious excursions in the local area that will enableathletes to learn about environmentalism andsustainable development. These so-called 'ExplorationJourneys' will give the participants the chance toexplore the natural environment around Innsbruck and educate them about how to live hand-in-handwith nature in such a fragile alpine location.The Arts programme, meanwhile, will see athleteslearning about the cultural differences that existbetween the participating nations by experiencingtraditional dances and music from each of the 70countries. Athletes will also get the chance to learnfrom role models, all Olympians. This will help prepareathletes for the future lives by informing them abouttopics such as healthy living and achieving a balancebetween training and education.As well as educating athletes about theseimportant topics, the CEP is also about having fun -and the Youth Festival will be an integral part of that.Through a variety of concerts and team-buildingexercises, like igloo building, athletes will be able toget to know each other and make new friends from allover the world, while sport initiations will allow them to try other disciplines that they may not haveexperienced before. Involving the public - and inparticular the local youth - will also be an integral partof the CEP at Innsbruck 2012, and many activities willbe open to local youngsters meaning that, via theirschools, young people from Austria will also get to takepart. Some elements will be exclusively for athletes butthe parts that include art, music, culture and dance,will allow teenagers from across the country toparticipate and experience it together.With so many exciting activities for the athletesand local youth to get involved in, the CEP forInnsbruck 2012 is already looking like it will continuein the same exciting and impressive vein that wasestablished at Singapore 2010. nALeftThe Media Lab includes radio and music aspart of its programme, combining fun and learning "THE CEP WILL BE FUN, INTERACTIVE AND, WE HOPE,WILL RESPOND TO ATHLETES'EXPECTATIONS. THE PARTICI-PANTS WILL BE GIVEN THETOOLS TO NOT ONLY GROW AS AN ATHLETE, BUT ALSO AS A TRUE AMBASSADOR OFSPORTS IN THEIR SOCIETY"

s anticipation for the Winter YouthOlympic Games builds, the IOC and theInnsbruck 2012 Organising Committee(IYOGOC) have been hitting the road tospread the YOG message to as many people aspossible. With help from the International Federations of the seven sports on the Innsbruck 2012 programme,the IOC and IYOGOC have attended some of thebiggest events on the winter sports calendar, helping to promote the Games by handing out YOG goodies tothe crowds, informing the media about Innsbruck 2012and also gaining support from top athletes. An Innsbruck 2012 video has been shown on big screens at some of this season's major events to sell-out crowds. This has also been shared with the wider YOG audiences to enjoy on YOG's socialmedia platforms. Become a fan atwww.facebook.com/youtholympicgames! The first competition to receive the YOG treatmentwas the opening event of the FIL Luge World Cupseason, which, coincidentally, was held on the bobsleighrun in Igls - the same track that will play host to thebobsleigh, skeleton and luge events at Innsbruck 2012.As well as engaging with athletes, media andmembers of the public, the event saw Innsbruck 2012hopeful Nina Prock show her support for the Games bywearing a special bib - featuring the distinctiveInnsbruck 2012 pixel graphics - as she competed inthe World Cup. Prock, the daughter of six-timeOlympian Markus Prock, will now be hoping to racedown the Igls run once again in the first ever WinterYOG next January.In Wengen, for the men's Alpine Skiing World Cup,some of the world's top skiers took time out to chat tothe IOC YOG team, passing on training tips and howthey really feel about racing some of the most difficultruns in the world. The crowds enjoyed posing in theirYOG gear for the camera crews on site.The YOG team also headed to the junior Ski WorldChampionships in Crans Montana, Switzerland and the Biathlon World Cup in Sweden, where formerbiathlon Olympic champion Vincent Defrasne helpedspread the YOG message. At the Snowboard WorldChampionships in La Molina, Spain, the team watchedsnowboard slopestyle - an event that will be held inInnsbruck in 2012."I believe it is our duty to raise internationalawareness of this first edition of the Winter YouthOlympic Games," explains IOC President JacquesRogge, who attended a number of events himself tohelp promote the Games, including the ISU EuropeanFigure Skating Championships in Bern, Switzerland."Even though Singapore 2010 was a great success, weneed to engage with a different public and with differentpartners for Innsbruck 2012. We are thrilled to beworking with the winter sport International Federations,whose help is vital in putting together this campaign.Their support is very much appreciated and we all feelunited to be working towards one goal: makingInnsbruck 2012 a great success." n36OLYMPIC REVIEWATHE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICCOMMITTEE (IOC), THE INNSBRUCK 2012ORGANISING COMMITTEE (IYOGOC) ANDTHE WINTER SPORTS INTERNATIONALFEDERATIONS HAVE BEEN BUSY PROMOTING THE WINTER YOUTHOLYMPIC GAMES AT A NUMBER OFMAJOR WINTER SPORTS EVENTSONTHEROAD Above Getting into the YOG spirit in Wengen,Switzerland duringthe men's FISAlpine Skiing World Cup RightThumbs upin Crans Montana,Switzerland at theFIS junior Ski WorldChampionshipsFar rightSpreading themessage at the FIS Snowboard WorldChampionships inLa Molina, Spain