The Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2016 opened at Lillehammer, Norway on Friday evening, at the same venue that hosted the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer in 1994.
The flame of the YOG cauldron was lit by Norway’s 12-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra. Exactly 22 years ago to the day, the Princess’s father, Crown Prince Haakon, lit the same cauldron in 1994 to kick off Lillehammer’s first Olympic Games.
The Opening Ceremony marked the start of 10 competition days for the 1,100 young athletes from 71 National Olympic Committees taking part in Lillehammer 2016.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach addressed the athletes taking part in Lillehammer 2016, saying: “These Games will be about your love for sport. They will also be about learning and sharing and about making new friends. This is what the Youth Olympic Games are all about: bringing young athletes together from all around the world to enjoy competition and friendship.”
(NRK/YOG press release)
http://www.norwaypost.no/index.php/sport/athletics-a-winter/31066
