The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics ( no, Olympiske vinterleker for ungdom 2016; nn, Olympiske vinterleikane for ungdom 2016), officially known as the II Winter Youth Olympic Games, took place in and around

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munic ...

, Norway, between 12 February and 21 February 2016. They were the fourth

Youth Olympic Games The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consiste ...

and the second winter edition. Lillehammer was awarded the games on 7 December 2011 as the only candidate. The games reused venues from the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fr ...

; this made Lillehammer the first city to host both regular and Youth Olympics. In addition to Lillehammer, sports were contested in

Hamar Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lak ...

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten Toten is a traditional district in Innlandet county in the eastern part of Norway. It consists of the municipalities Østre Toten and Vestre ...

and Øyer.

Host selection

Lillehammer was the only city to bid for the games. The Norwegian Olympic Committee talked with Norwegian and regional authorities to investigate a bid and ultimately submitted a bid to the IOC. Upon the deadline for bidding, they were the only city to bid. Lillehammer hosted the

. They bid for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, but failed to become a candidate. Lake Placid,

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label= Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital o ...

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...

and

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

all expressed interest in bidding but ultimately failed to submit any bids. On 7 December 2011, the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...

selected Lillehammer as the host city of the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.

Organization

In January 2012,

Siri Hatlen Siri Beate Hatlen (born 5 May 1957) is a Norwegian businessperson. A "Sivilingeniør" by education with several years in the petroleum industry, since 1996 she has been an independent consultant. After succeeding in turning operations in various c ...

was appointed as head of the Lillehammer 2016 Organizing Committee. At the Closing ceremony of the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol and the fifth-largest city in Austria. On the River Inn, at its junction with the Wipp Valley, which provides access to the Brenner Pass to the south, it had a p ...

, Lillehammer was handed the Olympic Flag.

Tomas Holmestad Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian s ...

(33) is CEO of Lillehammer 2016, which holds office at Oppland Fylkeskommune. In August 2014, Lillehammer Organizing Committee counts 20 employees, and this number were expected to rise to 70-80 employees in January 2016.

Venues

Nine competition and eleven non-competition venues were used, with all except the Youth Olympic Village in Lillehammer being existing venues. The games were held in four

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

: Lillehammer,

and Øyer. The former three are located nearby the lake of

Mjøsa Mjøsa is Norway's largest lake, as well as one of the deepest lakes in Norway and in Europe. It is the fourth-deepest lake in Norway. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about north of the city of Oslo. Its main tributary is the rive ...

and each have about 27,000 residents, while Øyer has 5,000 residents and is located in the valley of

Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending tow ...

. There were five competition venues in Lillehammer, two in Hamar and one in Gjøvik and Øyer. In Lillehammer, the twin ski jumping hill of Lysgårdsbakken has a spectator capacity of 35,000. Lysgårdsbakken has a

hill size The hill size (HS) is the most important measurement for the size of a ski jumping hill. It is defined as the distance between the takeoff table and the end of the landing area, which is called hill size point. It is not measured as a straight l ...

of 138 and a

K-point The construction point ( ger, Konstruktionspunkt), also known as the K-point or K-spot and formerly critical point, is a line across a ski jumping hill. It is used to calculate the number of points granted for a given jump. It is therefore also ca ...

of 120, while the normal hill has a hill size of 100 and a K-point of 90.LOOC (III): 18–22

Birkebeineren Ski Stadium Birkebeineren Ski Stadium ( no, Birkebeineren skistadion) is a cross-country skiing and biathlon venue located in Lillehammer, Norway. Situated from the town center and at above mean sea level, it has two stadium areas, one for cross-country ...

hosted

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...

and Nordic combined,NIF: 10 with the stadium itself having a capacity for 31,000 spectators during cross-country skiing and 13,500 during biathlon. In addition, spectators could watch from along the tracks.

Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena Kanthaugen Freestyle Arena ( no, Kanthaugen Freestyleanlegg) is a freestyle skiing stadium located in the hillside area of Kanthaugen in Lillehammer, Norway. Opened in 1992, it was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics. The venue consists of three ...

has a capacity for 15,000 spectators and hosted

freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Winter Olympics. It can consist of a skier performing aerial flips and spins and can include skiers sliding rails an ...

and half-pipe snowboarding.NIF: 8

Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track ( no, Lillehammer Olympiske Bob- og Akebane) is a bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track located at Hunderfossen in Lillehammer, Norway, north of the town center of Lillehammer. It was completed in 1992 ...

is located at Hunderfossen and is the only

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Fede ...

luge A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for ...

and

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...

track in the Nordic Countries. Kristins Hall hosted both

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

and

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

.NIF: 12

Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall ( no, Gjøvik Olympiske Fjellhall or ) is an ice hockey rink located within a mountain hall in Gjøvik, Norway. With a capacity for 5,500 spectators, the hall also features a 25-meter swimming pool and telecommunicati ...

is located in a man-made cave and featured the

short track speed skating Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as ...

events.NIF: 32 In Hamar, Vikingskipet hosted

long track speed skating 　 Long-track speed skating, usually simply referred to as speed skating, is the Olympic discipline of speed skating where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as ice skating marathon, ...

and

Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre CC Amfi, also known as Nordlyshallen ("The Northern Light Hall"), is an indoor sports arena in Hamar, Norway. It is mostly used for ice hockey and is the home arena of Storhamar Hockey. It has also been used for short track speed skating, figur ...

hosted

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

.NIF: 24

Alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

and slopestyle snowboarding were undertaken at

Hafjell Hafjell is a village and a ski resort in Norway, in the Øyer municipality in the county of Oppland. Hafjell hosted the alpine skiing technical events (giant slalom and slalom) at the 1994 Winter Olympics; the speed events were held at Kvitfjel ...

in Øyer.NIF: 16 Lysgårdsbakken also hosted the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

. The medal ceremonies took place in the town plaza. Athletes and leader accommodation were provided at two

Olympic Village An Olympic Village is an accommodation center built for the Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials and athletic trainers. Afte ...

s, one in Lillehammer for the Lillehammer and Øyer-based events, and one in Hamar for the Hamar and Gjøvik-based events. The Lillehammer village consisted of student apartments in combination with a hotel and apartment resort. They used

Håkons Hall Håkons Hall, sometimes anglicized as Håkon Hall and Haakons Hall, is an arena located at Stampesletta in Lillehammer, Norway. With a spectator capacity of 11,500 people, it is the largest handball and ice hockey venue in the country. Håkons ...

(who also hosted the

closing ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

) for dining. The Hamar village was Hotel Scandic Hamar.IOC (2011): 6 In addition, there are five designated cultural venues in Lillehammer: Kulturhuset Banken,

Lillehammer Art Museum Lillehammer Art Museum ( no, Lillehammer kunstmuseum) is an art gallery located in Lillehammer, Norway. The museum was founded in 1921 as a gift from merchant Einar Lunde. It has three main collections: one consisting of over 100 paintings from ...

Lillehammer University College Lillehammer University College ( no, Høgskolen i Lillehammer) was a state university college located at Storhove in Lillehammer, Norway. It was merged with Hedmark University College to become the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences i ...

, Maihaugen and the

Nansen Academy The Nansen Academy – Norwegian Humanistic Academy ( no, Nansenskolen – Norsk Humanistisk Akademi) is a folk high school in Lillehammer, Norway. History Nansen Academy was founded as a humanist and anti- totalitarian institution. The school w ...

. The Main Media Centre was located at Mesna Upper Secondary School, which is adjacent to Stampesletta.NIF: 47 All the competition venues were built ahead of the

.LOOC (III): 14 Kristins Hall is the only venue not used during those Games, while Håkons Hall and Kvitfjell were used. During Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games, Håkonshall was the venue for the Learn & Share program, whilst Kristins Hall was the official venue for ice hockey and curling. Kvitfjell was not used, and Hafjell was the main venue for downhill skiing, snowboard, and freeskiing instead.

Marketing

Mascot

Lillehammer organizing committee launched an international mascot design competition in March and April 2014. The competition required that the design proposals would be on an animal (ordinary animal or a fantasy one), look youthful, be kind and open, sporty, and represent the look of Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games. LYOGOC received over 50 proposals from all over the world, and a jury consisting of Birgit Skarstein, Julie Strømsvåg, Simen Staalnacke, and Marianne Aagotnes, selected three finalists. The final proposals were presented on the official Facebook page of Lillehammer 2016, where fans could vote on their favorite. It was the Lynx that won the competition, designed by 19-year-old Line Ansethmoen.

Cultural programme

Also a cultural programme was a part of the event, in which for example

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

was featured.

The Games

Sports

The Youth Olympic Games featured 7 sports and 15 disciplines. 70 events, there will be 5 mixed team events (Mixed-NOCs), 9 mixed team events (NOCs), 29 men's events, and 27 women's events. *Nordic Team Event included with cross country skiing. *Team ski-snowboard cross included with snowboarding.

New events

A number of events have been added to the programme. ;Biathlon (1): *Single mixed relay ;Bobsleigh (2): *Monobob race (boys/girls) ;Cross-country skiing (2): *Cross-country cross (boys/girls) ;Freestyle skiing (2): *Slopestyle (boys/girls) ;Snowboarding (2): *Snowboard cross (boys/girls) ;Combined (2): *Mixed Nordic team event *Mixed team ski-snowboard cross

Participating nations

The countries listed below have qualified at least one provisional athlete. 7 countries (Colombia, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Portugal and Timor Leste) made their Winter Youth Olympic Games debut.
''The numbers in parenthesis represents the number of participants qualified.''

Calendar

Medal table

The top ten listed

National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

s (NOCs) by number of gold medals are listed below with the host nation, Norway, being highlighted. Medals won by teams of athletes from more than one NOC are included in the table as medals awarded to a mixed-NOCs team.

References

;Bibliography * * * ;Notes

External links

*
Results Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winter Youth Olympics, 2016 2016 2016 in multi-sport events Olympic Games in Norway 2016 in Norwegian sport Youth sport in Norway Sport in Lillehammer Winter multi-sport events in Norway Norway at the Youth Olympics 2016 in youth sport February 2016 sports events in Europe 2016 in winter sports