The Youth Olympic Games Flame makes its way through the Swiss Alps

The Olympic Flame of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games left St. Moritz, one of the eight host venues of the Games, where it had been on display for the last two weeks. Travelling via the famous Glacier Express, the legendary Swiss Alpine train, it will make its way to French-speaking part of Switzerland (Suisse romande), via the Canton of Valais. In the coming days, accompanied by the Lausanne 2020 President, Virginie Faivre, the flame will visit all the host sites in the Valais (Champéry), the Vaud Alps (Leysin, Les Diablerets, Villars), the Vallée de Joux (le Sentier), and Les Rousses (Tuffes Stadium) in neighbouring France.

It is a real-life marathon that the Lausanne 2020 Olympic flame is preparing to accomplish in the coming week. Today, as a passenger on the legendary Glacier Express, an iconic Swiss train that winds its way through the Alps and offers breath-taking views, the flame will reachthe Canton of Valais via Brig.

The flame is now ready to begin the end of its journey through Switzerland, a journey that began on September 17^th when it was lit in Athens and which, over the last few weeks, has seen its way through each of the 26 Swiss cantons.

The next week will therefore be devoted to visiting each host site in the French-speaking side of Switzerland and France to celebrate the final part of the “Torch Tour” journey, that lasted for more than three months.. Tomorrow, Friday December 27^th (4.00pm) the Olympic Flame will be in Champéry in Valais where curling competitions will take place during the Games. It will then head for the Vaud Alps: it will be in Les Diablerets on December 28^th, in Leysin on December 29^th and in Villars on December 30^th. The flame will then make a stopover in the Haut-Jura, during which it will make its first visit on French soil on January 3^rd at the Tuffes stadium in the presence of athletes, local authorities and representatives of the Organising Committee for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. On January 4^th, it will cross the French-Swiss barder in order to be received in Vallée de Joux, at the sport centre of Le Sentier (4.00pm).

Its journey will end on January 6^th in Lausanne, at Place de la Riponne (2.00pm) with its last show of the “Torch Tour”. The Olympic Flame will then return for the big Torch relay on January 8^th – where 200 runners will pass on the Olympic torch across the city. A historic moment taking place in the heart of the Olympic Capital. The following da, on January 9^th , the flame will light up the Olympic cauldron at the Lausanne 2020 Opening Ceremony, declaring the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games officially open.

Virginie Faivre, President of Lausanne 2020 said: “It is with great emotion that I accompany the Olympic Flame in the final moments of its journey. Over the last few months, the flame has helped to spread the Olympic spirit and values throughout Switzerland. I would like to give a big thank you to the thousands of children and to those young and old who gave the flame a wonderful welcome throughout its journey. Thank you also to the entire Lausanne 2020 team for their passion, without which these moments would not have been possible. But it is also with great joy that I accompany this flame, because when the flame’s journey ends, the Games begin, and we are all looking forward to the start of the party!”