WYOG. The first Winter Youth Olympic Torch Relay kicked off in Innsbruck's Maria-Theresien-Straße on Tuesday, 27th December. Innsbruck Mayor Christine Oppitz-Plörer lit the Youth Olympic Torch in the cauldron in front of the Annasäule monument in Innsbruck city center and then passed it to Vice Provincial Governor Hannes Gschwentner.

WYOG 2012 Toruch Relay Day 1, December 27, 2011, Innsbruck, Photo IYOGOC/GEPA

Peter Bayer, the first torch bearer and CEO of Innsbruck 2012, carried the Youth Olympic Torch for 150 meters and then passed it on to former alpine skier and Olympic champion Stephan Eberharter: "As a successful Olympic athlete, being part of the Youth Olympic Torch Relay as a torch bearer was a great experience for me. Today I had the chance to take in the unique Olympic atmosphere from a different perspective."

A total of 2,012 torch bearers will carry the Youth Olympic Torch on its 18-day journey across Austria. The Torch will cover a stretch of 3,573 kilometers and will stop at 65 sites across Austria, among them the capitals of all of Austria's nine provinces as well as the most popular Austrian winter sport resorts.

Contributed by Innsbruck 2012
For more information visit www.Innsbruck2012.com

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