Snowboard slope-style and ski half-pipe to make their Olympiad debut at 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games
The action sports fans are in for a treat as we head to the first edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG), which is scheduled to be held from 13-22 January 2012, during the x*x
Olympiad, at Innsbruck, Austria. The international multi-sport event will act as a platform where snowboard slope-style and ski half-pipe make their Olympiad debut. Ski cross and snowboard half-pipe are also on the list of contests that await the sporting
fans.
“We are very happy and very lucky to have these great sports,” Innsbruck 2012 CEO Peter Bayer said about slopestyle and halfpipe. “We believe they will help the youth and really raise
the interest of the youth in these events.”
Bayer further said that it was a shame to see ski slope-style missing from the list as that would have completed the picture. According to him, the ski half-pipe and the entire slope-style
movement is crucial as it is almost like a lifestyle for the kids rather than just a sport.
Even though snowboard slope-style has never been able to make a place in the Winter Olympics, International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to incorporate it in the WYOG is definitely
a very positive sign. This decision makes the future very promising for the discipline that is followed and loved by a strong fan base. Ski half-pipe was just added recently to the 2014 Winter Olympics that is going to take place in Sochi.
"Those Youth Olympic Games can also be a lab," said Essar Gabriel, the IOC head of YOG. "We're encouraging innovation on YOG. The fact that it feeds into the total process that goes on
for the Olympic Games, for sure there are parallels there."
The two disciplines, snowboard slop-estyle and ski half-pipe are extremely popular among the new generation. IOC has finally acknowledged this fact and understood that in order to get
more kids involved in the upcoming event at Innsbruck They need to give more attention to the non-Olympic disciplines that the youth of today is interested in.
The upcoming WYOG will also feature the Alpine skiing team parallel event, another discipline that is awaiting an Olympic status from the IOC.
The WYOG promises to be one of the biggest winter games event that will be primarily focusing on the new generation. Over 1,000 talented athletes, aged betwen 15 and 18, from nearly 70
countries will be flying in to Innsbruck to participate in the mega-event’s first edition. These young athletes will be featured in 63 medal events across seven sports and fifteen disciplines.
The coming month of January 2012 promises to be deliver a heavy dose of excitement and thrilling action as the young guns put up a fight of their lives to make a strong impact and take
home the coveted medals on offer.
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