Decorated medallists adorn list of ARM for Innsbruck 2012

International Olympic Committee (Press Release): The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the list of Innsbruck 2012 Athlete Role Models (ARMs) for the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games taking place from 13 to 22 January in Innsbruck, Austria.The list features a number of star athletes nominated by the International Federations taking part in the Winter Youth Olympic Games and members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, led by Chairman and Olympic sprinter Frank Fredericks, who will also be on hand in Innsbruck to mentor the roughly 1,000 young athletes taking part.

“The International Federations have selected a fantastic collection of great athletes, who inspire not only on the field of play but off it as well,” said Fredericks. “I am looking forward to joining them in Innsbruck next year, where I’m sure the young athletes will learn a great deal from them about what it takes to be at the top and how to live by the Olympic values.”
This will be the second time ARMs will take part in a Youth Olympic Games following their successful and well-received debut at the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. The ARMs will spend time with the athletes, answering their questions and providing tips on everything from healthy eating to training regimens. The ARMs will also participate alongside the athletes in the Culture and Education Programme, which will focus on Olympism and the Olympic values, skills development, well-being and healthy lifestyles, social responsibility and expression through digital media.
The ARMs will attend the competitions, visit the Youth Olympic Village and feature in “Meet the Role Models” forums designed to inspire and educate the participants with personal accounts of their own dreams and experiences, and the challenges they have overcome. In addition, a dedicated Athlete Role Model lounge in the Youth Olympic Village will be available for the young athletes to drop in and ask questions first-hand to their icons.
At Innsbruck 2012, which will celebrate its 100-day countdown on 5 October, several new disciplines will be seen for the first time at an Olympic event, such as snowboard slopestype, ski half-pipe and ice hockey skills challenge. Also integrated into the sports programme for the first time is women’s ski jumping, the winner of which will be awarded the first Winter Youth Olympic Games medal.

The list of Athlete Role Models follows:

Nordic Combined

Samppa Lajunen

FIN

Cross Country

Petra Majdič

SLO

Alpine Skiing

Marco Büchel

LIE

Freestyle Ski

Shannon Bahrke Happe

USA

Snowboard

Nicola Thost

GER

Ski Jump

Andreas Küttel

SUI

Biathlon

Vincent Defrasne

FRA

Ice Hockey

Jennifer Botterill

CAN

Bobsleigh

Ivo Rüegg

SUI

Skeleton

Kerstin Szymkowiak

GER

Luge

Alexander Resch

GER

Figure Skating

Stéphane Lambiel

SUI

Speed Skating

Jeremy Wotherspoon

CAN

Curling

Eve Muirhead

GBR

Ulrich Kapp

GER

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Frank Fredericks

NAM

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Claudia Bokel

GER

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Robert Balk

USA

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Charmaine Crooks

CAN

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Hicham El Guerrouj

MAR

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Barbara Kendall

NZL

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Dae Sung Moon

KOR

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Adam Pengilly

GBR

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Angela Ruggiero

USA

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Yumilka Ruiz Luaces

CUB

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Rebecca Scott

CAN

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Pedro Yang

GUA

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Peter Tallberg

FIN

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Sergey Bubka

UKR

IOC Athletes’ Commission

Rania Elwani

EGY