A new generation of change-makers gets ready for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lillehammer 2016

Wed, Sep 2nd 2015, 12:30 PM

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today announced an impressive list of 39 inspirational young people who will serve as Young Ambassadors for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Lillehammer 2016.

The eclectic list features active athletes, including Olympians and YOG alumni, sports coaches, students and young professionals, all aged between 18 and 28. Despite coming from all walks of life, the Young Ambassadors, who were nominated by their National Olympic Committees, have one mission in common – to support the young YOG athletes and to inspire other young people in their communities using their experiences at the Youth Olympic Games.

The Young Ambassadors programme is now in its fourth cycle following its success at the previous three Summer and Winter Youth Olympic Games. The programme demonstrates just one of the unique elements of the YOG, along with the Young Reporter and Athlete Role Model initiatives. Samsung has once again pledged its support to the programme by supplying a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ to each Young Ambassador, enabling mobile technology to enhance their YOG experience - sharing stories, interacting and promoting the YOG in their countries.

As well as promoting the YOG and the Olympic values in their countries, the role of the Young Ambassadors is focused on helping the athletes of their national teams get the most out of their YOG experience. They will encourage them to interact with people from different sports and backgrounds and to take part in a unique programme of activities and workshops, featuring sessions on healthy eating, injury prevention, anti-doping, careers in sport and media training. The lessons learned will equip the athletes with the sports skills to perform to the best of their ability on the field of play, and the life skills to be true ambassadors of their sport off the field of play, inspiring young people in their communities to get active and embrace the Olympic values.

Previous Young Ambassadors have credited this unique opportunity as a means to help them pursue professional careers in the field of sport, in areas such as events, coaching, media and social development, with many staying within the Olympic Movement as volunteers or securing jobs with NOCs, sports federations and organising committees, or even returning to the YOG in the role of Chef de Mission.

The newly appointed Young Ambassadors will gather in Lillehammer from 1 to 5 October for a seminar during which they will be fully briefed on their role, and will test out some of the workshops and activities that will be available during Games times.

Click here for the full list of 39 Young Ambassadors.

The second edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games will be held from 12 to 21 February in Lillehammer, Norway.

For more information on the Youth Olympic Games, please visit: www.olympic.org/yog.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team: Tel: +41 21 621 6000 email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our website at www.olympic.org.

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