International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach speaks at the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 31, 2015. The session will decide the host cities of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games. (Xinhua/Gong Lei)
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Brasov of Romania and Lausanne of Switzerland are competing for the right to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) by pitching their strengths in the presentations in the 128th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) here on Friday.
In Brasov's presentation, Alin Petrache, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, said that the Romanian city successfully hosted the 2013 winter edition of the European Olympic Youth Festival and the winter sports enjoy great popularity in its population. A video of Brasov broadcasted during the presentation also highlighted its sports venues and facilities as well as its accommodation capabilities.
On Lausanne's side, Patrick Baumann, IOC member and International Basketball Association secretary general, said that the city enjoys advantages in the sports and education arenas, and competent to host the 2020 Winter YOG. "At the heart of Europe is a small perfectly formed country, where everything works like clockwork," said Lausanne's video, underlining Swiss "precision and organization."
The IOC will announce the host city for the Games later Friday.
The first edition of the Winter YOG was held in Innsbruck in 2012, with the second edition scheduled to take place in Lillehammer in 2016. Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Winter Games, while Lillehammer held the 1994 Olympic Winter Games.
