Great expectations, great competence
The decision to award the first Winter Youth Olympic Games to Innsbruck and Seefeld came with the greatest consensus (84:15) yet achieved by any venue – evidence indeed of the high global regard accorded to the Tirol in respect of its competence in the matter of winter sports and as a host. Throughout the world one can rely on the Tirol, Innsbruck and Seefeld doing justice to this honour next year with a perfect premiere for the Youth Winter Olympic Games.

Sports land Tirol – the perfect host
The Olympic Committee's overwhelming consensus with regard to Innsbruck and Seefeld is, of course, the result of the winter sports know-how and proficiency acquired by both places and by the entire Tirol in the past 100 years. From the growth of individual sports styles and types to the development of a peerless infrastructure, the Tirol has in recent decades given winter an overall makeover. No wonder then that the Heart of the Alps is popular as a venue for major events of all kinds. From the famous annual Hahnenkamm race on the Streif to the 2001 Skiing World Championships in St. Anton am Arlberg and the 2008 Football EURO, the Tirol is always displayed in its best light, providing ideal training conditions for top competitors and hobby athletes alike. 1,200 lifts and cableway installations, more than 4,000 kilometres of groomed pistes, 4,000 kilometres of cross-country trails and more than 200 natural toboggan runs mean that the mountains are available to winter visitors for all sorts of activities. This is, of course, made possible by the hosts on the spot. And the Tirol also sets international standards in service and professionalism. From culinary delights at over 2,000 metres above sea level to the patient skiing instructor who within just a few days makes the guest the supreme hero of the piste to the idyllic family hotel where visitors of all ages feel at home, tourism standards in the Tirol, the Heart of the Alps, are frequently copied, but never matched.

Premieres, novelties and innovations
In addition to familiar competitions, the first Youth Olympic Games 2012 will bring various innovations. New contest formats and "mixed team" challenges will bring a fresh, youthful touch to the sporting spirit. The Games underline the Tirol's aim to be part of the vanguard of all sporting development. The land in the mountains has never been content to rest on its laurels, but has always sought further achievements and exciting challenges. The Tirol's guests benefit from this, relying on the fact that their holidays, the loveliest time of the year, will be perfectly adapted to their requirements.

Traditional sports sites – for today and tomorrow
Work progresses apace on the accommodation for competitors and trainers. 444 barrier-free apartments in innovative, environmentally friendly passive house construction are taking shape on the site of former barracks. After the Games these will be available to the population of Innsbruck. This is an important signal in respect of lastingness – in the Tirol we do not stamp buildings out of the ground for a day, but everything is embedded in the existing infrastructure for further use.
This applies to the sports sites, too. Ski runs like the famous Patscherkofel course, ice arenas and bobsleigh runs can look back on a long history that includes Olympic experience. They regularly prove their worth at national and international sports events – from the annual World Cup races on Igls bobsleigh run to the Nordic combined competitions on the jump and the cross-country trail at Seefeld to the ice hockey World Championships in Innsbruck – and they will remain in use after the Youth Olympic fire has left Innsbruck again.
Renovation and rebuilding work undertaken in recent years guarantees that all the venues are state-of-the-art. Athletes and spectators alike will appreciate the fact that everything is laid on.

Further information: Tirol Info, tel. +43.512.7272-0, info@tirol.at and http://www.innsbruck2012.com or http://www.tirol.at