Champry chosen as host venue for curling competitions of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games

Lausanne, 6 March 2018 – The Lausanne 2020 Executive Committee and the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) validated the proposal of the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee to organise the curling competitions in Champéry in January 2020, following the withdrawal of the town of Morges (VD) last month.

The "Champéry Palladium", the sports and cultural centre of the town of Champéry, will host the curling competitions of the Youth Olympic Games in January 2020. This decision was taken in agreement with the World Curling Federation (WCF) after evaluating various options available to the Organising Committee following the withdrawal of the town of Morges at the beginning of February.

This choice quickly became obvious, with the Palladium being a well-known and recognised centre in the international curling family. It was in this venue that the European Men's and Women's Championships (2010, 2014 and 2015) and, more recently, the World Mixed Curling Championships, were held last October. The Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee therefore had an immediately operational solution to propose to the IOC. The town of Champéry, located in the Canton of Valais, is at the same distance from the Lausanne Olympic Village as Villars, where the disciplines of ski cross and snowboard cross will take place.

Ian Logan, CEO of the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee: "As soon as the withdrawal of the City of Morges was announced, the International Federation and our team took advantage of our joint presence at the PyeongChang Olympic Games to evaluate the options available to us. The Champéry Palladium and the surrounding infrastructure met the Federation's requirements in every respect. It will also enable us to put in place an ambitious education programme for all stakeholders, which is very important to us. This choice responds to the desire to organise competitions within the framework of existing infrastructures."

Luc Fellay, President of the City of Champéry: "Becoming an Olympic venue is historic news for Champéry and the Palladium! We are extremely grateful to have been chosen by the Organising Committee and the highest levels of world curling. This is an accomplishment for everyone here who has been involved in the promotion of curling for years. We will do everything we can to welcome the future curling stars in 2020 in the best possible way, and to make sure that our own training centre, and therefore the sporting youth of our region, and beyond, can benefit from it ".

The Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee will now finalise the adaptation of the curling programme planned for the new Champéry venue.

The Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee will now finalise the adaptation of the curling programme planned for the new Champéry venue.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Lise Cordey, Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee

T : +41 (0) 76 403 54 97

Email : press@lausanne2020.com

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