Lausanne 2020 announces 'significant surplus' in operational budget

LAUSANNE - The organizing committee of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games on Wednesday released a report revealing a "significant surplus" in operational budget and high popularity of the Games held in January.

"Lausanne 2020 has been a success in every respect for the IOC (International Olympic Committee), which has learned many useful lessons for the future. These Games were the fabulous laboratory that the Youth Olympic Games were created to be," said Christophe Dubi, IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games.

The organizing committee announced that its operating budget projections showed a surplus of CHF 400,000 ($423,000). Lausanne 2020 attracted large crowds at both competition venues and at the "en Jeux" festivals, created in parallel with the host cities and resorts. A total of 640,000 spectators attended the events, of which 350,000 were for the sports competitions alone.

Among these spectators, more than 80,000 children were able to experience an Olympic event from the inside for the first time.

Virginie Faivre, president of the organizing committee, said: "We have celebrated a new kind of Olympic Games - one that is smart and sustainable. What's more, we have showed the world an aspect of our country that it perhaps not as well known -: that we are a sporting country that believes in its youth, a country that educates and a country that innovates."

The report also highlighted that the Games was broadcast in 191 countries and regions, reaching an estimated audience of more than 150 million people worldwide.

Coverage of the events on Lausanne2020.sport and the Olympic platforms (Olympic Channel and olympic.org) attracted more than three million unique users during the 13 days of competition, a 200 percent increase over Lillehammer 2016.

The Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games took place from January 9 to with record 1,784 athletes aged between 15 and 18 from 79 countries and regions.