Toyota support keeps Lausanne 2020 Torch Tour moving
Worldwide Olympic Partner Toyota is playing a key role in delivering the Lausanne 2020 Torch Tour, as the Olympic flame makes its way around Switzerland ahead of next year’s Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
The company, which joined The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme in 2015 as the first-ever Worldwide Mobility Partner of the Olympic Movement, is the Presenting Partner of the Torch Tour, and is supporting the Olympic flame’s journey around the host country by providing a fleet of branded vehicles to the Lausanne 2020 Organising Committee.
With their commitment to sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of the Games, the Winter YOG Lausanne 2020 are directly in line with Toyota’s vision to lead the future of mobility towards more sustainable solutions through innovation. This commitment includes revolutionising the mobility industry by releasing next-generation vehicles such as the Toyota Mirai – the company’s first zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell car, which was recently added to the International Olympic Committee’s fleet, and which will be one of the official vehicles of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
“We are very proud to be the official partner for the transport of the Lausanne 2020 Torch Tour,” said Christian Künstler, General Manager at Toyota (Switzerland). “Toyota’s mission to provide the world with sustainable mobility solutions is perfectly in line with Lausanne 2020’s vision for smart Games. This is a natural partnership that goes hand-in-hand with our long-term commitment to the Olympic Movement.”
The Torch Tour began on 17 September with a traditional lighting ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, with the Olympic flame then travelling to Switzerland to embark on a four-month journey through all 26 Swiss cantons and the French ski resort of Les Tuffes, before reaching the Lausanne 2020 Opening Ceremony on 9 January next year.
The Tour is giving members of the public the chance to view the Olympic flame, helping to build excitement ahead of the 3rd Winter YOG, which will be held from 9 to 22 January and will mark the first time since the Olympic Winter Games St Moritz 1948 that the country has hosted an Olympic sports event.
“The Lausanne 2020 Torch Tour is a unique opportunity to bring the Olympic spirit to all regions of Switzerland for the first time in more than 70 years, since the Olympic flame was last here, in St Moritz in 1948,” said Virginie Faivre, President of Lausanne 2020. “We are so proud to be taking the torch to all 26 cantons, where communities will be able to engage with the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games in the lead-up to Lausanne 2020.”
Along its journey throughout the YOG host nation, the Olympic flame is visiting several of Switzerland’s most iconic sites, including the mountain resort of Zermatt – home to the renowned Matterhorn peak – and St Moritz, which hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1928 and 1948.
The flame has also visited the Swiss Parliament in Bern, the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, and the Château de Chillon – the famed island castle located on Lake Geneva.
In addition to Toyota, the Torch Tour is being supported by the Cantonal Insurance Service (ECA) and Swiss Olympic, the Swiss National Olympic Committee.
“With the astounding support of our partners, the Organising Committee of Lausanne 2020 is proud to be taking the torch to all 26 cantons within Switzerland and to neighbouring France,” said Ian Logan, CEO of Lausanne 2020. “Together with our friends from Toyota, ECA and Swiss Olympic, the Olympic flame will be safely escorted, and the spirit of Olympism will be shared throughout Switzerland.”