To launch the partnership, a bus designed in Lausanne 2020 colours has been inaugurated and will transport thousands of passengers from now until the start of the multi-sport event on January 9. 

Young athletes and their accompanying persons from more than 80 countries will enter Switzerland via Geneva Airport before heading to Vortex, the Youth Olympic Village located in the heart of the Dorigny university campus in Lausanne.

"The arrival in Geneva will mark the beginning of their Lausanne 2020 experience and it will set the tone for the rest of their Olympic adventure," a statement from the Organising Committee reads.

"This partnership will give both parties the opportunity to jointly communicate not only in the upcoming months, but also during the Games.

"It will provide the athletes and spectators with a unique experience upon their arrival.

"The official launch of the partnership was also the opportunity to inaugurate the Lausanne 2020 Tarmac bus, which has been circulating on the airport floor for several weeks, getting passengers in the atmosphere of the Youth Olympic Games."

André Schneider, director general of Geneva Airport, and Ian Logan, chief executive of the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee, expressed a common desire to welcome athletes, supporters and spectators of the YOG in an unforgettable way.

"What made this partnership attractive for us was the idea of supporting a project with an international influence, combining youth with a French-speaking dimension as the competitions will take place in various cantons as well as in neighbouring France," Schneider said.

"By integrating new sport disciplines, the Youth Olympic Games constitute a form of laboratory, an interesting visionary experience that Geneva Airport, as a key player in the region’s service sector, is particularly happy to encourage and support. 

"We are very proud of this partnership which started a long time ago, with a great activation already during the [2018] Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang."

Logan added: "Geneva Airport will be the official gateway for an entire region, from neighbouring France to Champéry, via the Vallée de Joux, Lausanne and the Vaud Alps. 

"This point of arrival will mark the athletes’ first and last moments in Switzerland. 

"We must welcome them in the best possible way, demonstrating Switzerland’s excellent know-how in terms of hospitality and immersing them into the Lausanne 2020 experience from the moment they arrive. 

"By combining our organisational and communication efforts with the logistical excellence of Geneva Airport, this is exactly what we are ensuring."

Lausanne 2020 is due to run until January 22.