Olympians countdown to Innsbruck 2012 on Patscherkofel Mountain

Innsbruck, Austria, IYOGOC Media Release, Dec 12, 2011:  Patscherkofel Mountain, Just one month before the start of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, Patscherkofel – the location for the Alpine Skiing events between 13 and 22 January– welcomed a host of Innsbruck 1964 and 1976 medallists to launch the final countdown to Innsbruck 2012.

Invited by the Austrian Ski Federation President, Peter Schröcksnadel, the secretary-general of the Austrian Olympic Committee, Peter Mennel, the Innsbruck 2012 organising committee and the regional marketing board Tirol Werbung, gold medallists Egon Zimmermann (1964) and Franz Klammer (1964), silver medalist Edith Zimmermann (1964) and bronze medallists Herbert Plank (ITA/1976) and TraudlHecher-Görgl (1964) packed the start house for the event.

“We would be honoured to see you all back here again in January for the Winter Youth Olympic Games to cheer on the new generation of winter athletes,”commented Peter Schröcksnadel. The get-together continued in the 360° panorama restaurant, where CEO Peter Bayer emphasised that the slopes will be perfect when the Games begin in exactly one month’s time: “Preparations have been going according to plan – we can guarantee top conditions for the Games.”

Josef Margreiter, director of the regional marketing board Tirol Werbung, is also excited about the start of the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games: “These Games are a unique opportunity for the Tyrol region to present itself as a young, trendy destination for sports enthusiasts.”

The 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games will take place from 13 to 22 January 2012 and welcome 1,059 athletes from over 60 nations. The Austrian team will comprise around 80 athletes, with the qualification phase scheduled to end on 17 December. A total of 63 Medal Events will feature at the Games, 14 of which will be making their debut on an Olympic programme, including Snowboard Slope style and Ski Half pipe, as well as a number of mixed-gender and mixed-NOC events, which will see athletes from different countries compete together on the same team.

Patscherkofel will host all nine Alpine Skiing events, including a Mixed Parallel Team Event.