2020 Winter Youth Olympics declared closed
The team of Russian athletes finished the games in the top spot of the overall medals standings, winning record 29 medals: 10 gold, 11 silver and eight bronze. Hosts Switzerland finished second, with 10 gold, six silver and eight bronze medals, while the national team of athletes from Japan were 3rd with nine gold, seven silver and one bronze medals, TASS reports.
The final gold, which placed Russia in the top of the medals standings of the 2020 Youth Olympics, was brought on Wednesday in the final match of boys’ ice hockey competition earlier in the day.
The previous record is also held by Team Russia, who won 24 medals (seven gold, eight silver and nine bronze) during the 2016 Games.
The Russian team’s flag carrier was curler Nikolai Lysakov, who won a bronze medal in men’s competition and a silver in the mixed team event.
The 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games were hosted by Switzerland’s Lausanne on January 9-22 and attended by almost 1,900 athletes of age between 14 and 18 representing 79 countries. The Russian team listed 45 female and 61 male athletes from 20 regions.
A total of 81 sets of medals in 16 disciplines were up for grabs in Switzerland this month and they were contested in such competitions as: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Ski Jumping, Ski Mountaineering, Snowboarding, Speed Skating.
The Youth Olympics are organized every four years, with the Summer Games held since 2010, and the Winter Games - since 2012. The Youth Olympics were preceded by the World Youth Games held under the IOC auspices since 1998. The first World Youth Games were hosted by the Russian capital of Moscow in 1998.
The next edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games will be hosted by South Korea on January 19 - February 2, 2024.