Festivities will include the start of a countdown clock to the Games at 20:12.

The clock will be started by Tyrol Governor Gunther Platter and a gathering of Tyrolean olympic medallists, media and other guests who will be invited to try out some of the sports on the Innsbruck 2012 programme.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge, the man credited with creating the Youth Olympic Games, said: "Just five months ago we celebrated the birth of the Youth Olympic Games with Singapore 2010.

"Innsbruck 2012 will continue this momentum over 10 action-packed days of competition.

"These Games, in addition to making their mark on Olympic history, will be a memorable and inspirational event for all the athletes and countless numbers of young people around the world."

The celebrations for the Innsbruck 2012 one year to go anniversary will continue right up until February 4 - the date that marks the 35th anniversary of the last Olympic Winter Games to be held in Innsbruck in 1976.

A Youth Olympic Games Snow Festival will be held on that day with thousands of young people expected to attend outdoor concerts and snow sports events.

The official Innsbruck 2012 mascot, based on the "Mountain Goat" design (pictured) voted for by the public in December 2010, will also be unveiled.

The idea of the goat came from 25-year-old Luis Andrés Abbiati from Argentina who found the competition on the internet.

Together with his 24-year-old girlfriend Florenica, they carefully designed their submission where the appearance and clothing of the goat reflect the lifestyle and landscape of the host region while also combining the present with the past.

Florencia said: "It is a great honour for Luis and me to know that our design will be involved in the first Winter Youth Olympic Games."

Scheduled to take place from January 13-22 next year, the Games will feature approximately 1,000 athletes aged 15 to 18 taking part in elite-level competition with an integrated culture and education programme focused on themes ranging from Olympism and Olympic values to skills development.

Innsbruck's preparations are on schedule to deliver a memorable first winter edition, with the young athletes set to compete in the seven sports of biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing.

These are the same seven sports on the programme for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Russia although a number of the 63 events in Innsbruck will feature for the first time in an Olympic event.

They include the biathlon mixed relay, the luge team relay, ski half pipe, snowboard slope style, figure skating team event, ice hockey skills challenge and women's ski jumping.

In addition to mixed gender events, there will be mixed National Olympic Committee (NOC) competitions for the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics.

The Innsbruck 2012 Organising Committee will also prepare an interactive culture and education programme for the athletes that will be adapted to suit the winter sports environment and reflect Innsbruck 2012's creativity and flair.

Meanwhile, Innsbruck 2012 have posted a special "1 Year to Innsbruck 2012 - first ever Winter Youth Olympics" video on their Facebook site here. 

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