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LAUSANNE ON TRACK FOR 3RD WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMESIn October, the IOC Coordination Commission concluded its first visit to Lausanne, Switzerland Ð host city of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2020. The visit ended on a high note, with preparations deemed well underway just over a year since the city was elected at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur. The Coordination Commission convened after two days of debriefing and workshops at the University of Lausanne held between the Lillehammer 2016 organisers and Lausanne 2020, and including various levels of government, the Swiss National Olympic Committee and public authorities from the Swiss and French hosts.ÒLausanne 2020 has learnt from the success of Lillehammer 2016 and is putting the Swiss expertise in sport, education and innovation at the heart of the project to ensure the young participants will be motivated and inspired,Ó said Commission Chair Danka Bartekov‡.Above IOC Coordination Commission Chair Danka Bartekov‡ at the University of LausanneDuring the third visit by the IOC Coordination Commission to Buenos Aires from 31 October to 1 November, members participated in a session of idea-sharing and feedback on the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) with a group of young Argentinian athletes. These athletes have provided guidance to the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee (BAYOGOC) from the outset to help push the boundaries of innovation and ensure the Games are not only for young people, but also by young people.ÒSport has changed your life, sport has changed my life and we are around this table together to help take more kids off the street and into sport through the Youth Olympic Games,Ó said commission Chair Frank Fredericks to the young athletes, several of whom have previously competed at a YOG.ÒInnovation is key to Buenos Aires 2018 and it is important that we have input from the athletes to the future athletes,Ó he continued. ÒWe are creating these Games for young people, and your fresh, youthful and passionate spirit is essential. ÒYou are role models now, and that is a tremendous responsibility to put on young men and women, but your community is behind you.ÓWith their mission to Òbring sport to the peopleÓ, the local organisers have set about staging hundreds of events across the city to directly engage over 300,000 young people in the YOG. This has been through active participation in sport or cultural activities to raise awareness of the Games and to get kids active, and has provided opportunities to test some of the Games-time ÒLearn & ShareÓ programme ideas.During the two days of meetings, the commission approved the revised venue master plan, comprising four parks, bringing sport and the YOG to people across the city. The Youth Olympic, Green, Urban and Techno Parks will all feature a mix of sport, culture and education activities in a festival-style atmosphere.BAYOGOCÕs workforce has increased from 40 to 120 employees since the commissionÕs previous visit in August 2015, and to date over 6,000 people have already shown an interest in becoming volunteers.YOUTH AT THE CENTRE OF BUENOS AIRES 2018 PREPARATIONSLeft Excitement is growing in Buenos Aires for the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games24 OLYMPIC REVIEW