Brașov is competing against Lausanne, Switzerland to win the right to stage the event, with a decision set to be announced at the 128th International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on July 31.

Although the main gathering took place in the city itself, there were also examples of messages of support from volunteers further afield, including Valentin Chicu who took a photo of himself in the National Assembly Square in Chișinău, Moldova. 

"It is inspiring to witness such a wonderful group of people freely giving of their time to support this important project," said Cazimir Geantă, organiser of the gathering and EYOF 2013 winter edition marketing volunteer.

"The volunteers remain as united as they were at the 2013 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival and I want to thank them very much for this.

"The event emphasises a simple message: Brașov is ready to welcome the world in 2020 by hosting the Youth Olympic Games, no matter what challenges lie ahead."

Valentin Chicu, a volunteer at the 2013 European Youth Olympic Festival in Brașov, demonstrated his backing at the National Assembly Square in Chișinău, Moldova
©Brasov 2020 Youth Olympic Games



The city of 250,000 people, which is located 170 kilometres north of the capital Bucharest, is bidding to become the first Romanian city to host an Olympic Games, but faces tough opposition from Lausanne, the "home" of the Olympic Movement.

The two cities were formally accepted as candidates for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games during the IOC Executive Board meeting on December 6, prior to the IOC Extraordinary Session in Monte Carlo.

After being shortlisted as an official candidate for the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Brașov will now face further assessment by the IOC Evaluation Commission, chaired by China's two-time Olympic champion speed skater Yang Yang.

Candidate city visits will be carried out next month before teleconferences on March 11 and 12 give each city the opportunity to present their plans and answer questions from the Evaluation Commission.

This comes on the eve of the opening of the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival here tomorrow, which is following the success of the Brașov event two years ago.

For more information on Brașov's Winter Youth Olympic bid, visit the Facebook page by clicking here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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