IOC names Pernilla Wiberg to head Winter Youth Games team

The International Olympic Committee created a panel Tuesday to examine four candidate cities hoping to host the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee created a panel Tuesday to examine four candidate cities hoping to host the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012.
    The seven-member evaluation commission will be led by Pernilla Wiberg, an athletes' representative at the IOC. The 37-year-old Swedish skier won two gold medals and one silver at four Winter Games from 1992-2002.
    The candidate cities are: Harbin, China; Innsbruck, Austria; Kuopio, Finland; and Lillehammer, Norway.
    Each bid team will present its case and face questions from commission members during video conference calls later this month.
    Wiberg and her panel will then prepare a report for the IOC Executive Board to choose a shortlist of finalists. IOC members will vote by postal ballot in November, with the winning city announced in December.
    The Winter Youth Olympics will feature about 1,000 athletes from 14-18 competing in seven sports — ski racing, ice hockey, biathlon, bobsled, curling, luge and figure skating.
   
    — The Associated Press