Harbin (China), Innsbruck (Austria), Kuopio (Finland) and Lillehammer (Norway), the four candidate cities for the first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games to be held in 2012 attended an IOC workshop this week in Lausanne. IOC President Jacques Roge welcomed them in a video message and expressed his satisfaction about "the enthusiasm with which they responded to the IOC’s initiative to create the Youth Olympic Games".
During the workshop, the four cities were taken through the concept of the Youth Olympic Games and the requirements to host the first Winter edition of those Games in 2012. On the basis of these detailed briefs and a specific questionnaire, they will now prepare the candidature files to be handed in on 19 June 2008. These files will be analyzed by a panel of experts representing the Olympic Movement, who will draw up a shortlist of Youth Olympic Games Candidate Cities by August 2008. The shortlisted cities will be further evaluated by an IOC Evaluation Commission. The election by the IOC members and the announcement of the host city will take place in December 2008.
