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Wherever you turn in Lillehammer, you are reminded of the local area’s special place in Olympic history. Twenty-two years ago, the region hosted one of the most celebrated Olympic Winter Games ever held and, even now, the memories of the event endure. From the impressive venues that remain in use today and the Olympic cauldron that still sits at the base of the ski jump stadium, to the huge Torchbearer carved into the hillside opposite the Hafjell ski slopes and the misty-eyed recollections of local people who were there, the links to the 1994 Olympic Winter Games are inescapable. But from 12-21 February 2016, all eyes were very much on the future, as 1,100 young athletes from 71 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) gathered here for the 2nd Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG).Of course, there were still subtle nods to 1994 for those in search of sentimentality. The Opening Ceremony saw Norway’s King Harald V declare the YOG open, just as he had done 22 years ago, while 12-year-old Princess Ingrid followed in the footsteps of her AboveThe Opening Ceremony at the Lysgårdsbakkene ski jump venuefather, Crown Prince Haakon, by lighting the same Olympic cauldron as he did in 1994 to signal the start of the Games.Some of the young athletes’ names were even familiar, with Arina Pantova of Kazakhstan competing on the same biathlon course as her father, Dmitriy Pantov, did in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, and American ice hockey forward Ryan Savage emulating his father, Brian, a silver medallist with Canada in the same sport 22 years ago.“Dad has a lot of stories about 1994 and I am just hoping to make my own memories here as well,’’ said Savage at the start of the Games.But despite the links with Lillehammer’s Olympic past, this YOG was very much about the next generation, with organisers keen to deliver an event “for young people, by young people”. And youth took centre stage from the very beginning, as 16-year-old Eilif Hellum Noraker enjoyed a starring role in the Opening Ceremony alongside 700 other young performers, while five young athletes – representing each of the competing continents – joined the IOC President, Thomas Bach, to deliver the opening address.The catchy lyrics of the funky official Lillehammer 2016 song urged everyone to follow the Games slogan to “Go beyond, create tomorrow” – and that theme continued throughout the next nine days. Young athletes from around the world left spectators in awe with their sporting performances and expanded their horizons with the innovative Learn & Share programme, while local youngsters were inspired and entertained by the extensive Sjoggfest cultural programme and the many activities that were on offer throughout the town.Among the athletes starring on the slopes around Lillehammer were the USA’s River Radamus and Switzerland’s Aline Danioth, who dominated the ÔTHERE’S NOTHING LIKE THIS COMPETITION, PEOPLE REPRESENTING THEIR NATIONS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF THE SPORT. IT’S A REALLY GREAT ATMOSPHERE’RIVER RADAMUS (USA), TRIPLE ALPINE SKIING GOLD MEDALLISTLILLEHAMMER 2016 REVIEW32 OLYMPIC REVIEW