It will be terra nova for the Olympic Movement in 2020, as the Winter Youth Olympic Games head to one of two cities that have never previously hosted an edition of the Olympic Games.

Brasov (Romania) and Lausanne (Switzerland) have both submitted their applications to host the third edition of the Winter YOG to the International Olympic Committee.

IOC president Thomas Bach said: “We are delighted that Brasov and Lausanne are in the running for 2020 and want to bring the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games to their cities.

“Both candidates have signalled their strong interest in hosting the YOG, and we look forward to receiving each bid’s vision on how these Games can best reach young people and benefit their communities in a sustainable way. It promises to be a close race all the way to the election in 2015.”

The first edition of the Winter YOG was held in Innsbruck in 2012, with the second edition scheduled to take place in Lillehammer in 2016.
Innsbruck hosted the 1964 and 1976 Olympic Winter Games, while Lillehammer held the 1994 Olympic Winter Games.

Approximately 1,000 athletes take part in the Winter YOG, which last a maximum of ten days and are held at a time of year that best suits the sporting calendar and climate of the host region.
YOG hosts are encouraged, wherever possible, to use existing venues to stage the Games.

The next deadline in the 2020 bid process is December 12th 2013, the date when Brasov and Lausanne must submit the signed 2020 YOG Candidature Procedure.