Youth Olympics
January 15, 2012
The first day of the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics opened in Innsbruck, Austria with the athletes swearing an oath to respect the ideals of the Olympic Games.
Austrian alpine skier Christina Ager, 16, and Austrian luge coach Angelika Neuner both stumbled over the oath's text during the opening ceremony that drew a crowd of 15,000. An ice machine failure, meanwhile, meant curling matches would have to be rescheduled from Saturday, January 14, until Tuesday.
Conditions on the ski slopes, however, were more favorable after a heavy snowfall created minor chaos in the town of Tyrol, blocking roads and access to entire valleys. The situation eventually calmed down, allowing a solid layer of snow for skiing, biathlon and other competitions.
The games feature 1,059 athletes from 70 countries competing in 63 medal competitions.
First gold medals
France's Estelle Alphand, 16, became the Winter Youth Olympics' first gold medalist on Saturday in the women's Super G. Sixteen-year-old Adam Lamhamedi of Morocco, meanwhile, won the men's Super G.
"It's amazing to be the winner of the first gold medal," Alphand said. "But it's just the beginning."
Japan's Sara Takanashi, 15, took gold in the women's ski jump while Anze Lanisek of Slovenia, also 15 years old, won the men's ski jump.
In speed skating, An Liu took gold in the men's 500 meter while Mi Jang took gold in the women's 500 meter.
Author: Spencer Kimball (AFP, AP)
Editor: Toma Tasovac