ISF Winter Games: Festival of Olympism, Education and School Sport

Before World’s elite athletes gathered in Pyeongchang for the 2018 Olympic Games, their younger counterparts met in Grenoble, France, for a 5-day multi-sport event which celebrated the unity between the legacy of Olympism and the values of Education through Sport.

ISF Winter Games were being held for the first time in the history of ISF, organised by French School Sport Federation UNSS Rhône-LyonMetro and Académie de Grenoble as part of the festival honouring the 50^th anniversary of Grenoble’s 1968 Olympics.

Interview of Laurent Petrynka - ISF President and IOC Olympic Education Commission Member:

The opening ceremony took place on the very same day, February 6, as the opening of Grenoble’s Olympics 50 years ago. Later in the evening, the Grenoble’s official celebration began with special guests, 3-time Grenoble’s Olympics gold medallist and skier Jean Claude Killy and former figure skater, Olympic silver medallist from Innsbruck 1964,  Alain Calmat.

500 young athletes from 19 countries competed in 8 different winter sports: alpine ski, freestyle ski, snowboard cross and freestyle, biathlon, cross country ski, ski jumping (all mentioned events were supported by FIS), curling, speed skating and hockey.

While France, Austria and Germany were the most successful nations in terms of medals, it’s important to highlight that among 19 countries participating, two came all the way from South America: Chile and Argentina. Team Chili won the Joy of Moving Trophy for Fair Play sponsored by our partner Kinder+Sport

Before the Games, the official ambassador of the event and France’s greatest Olympian, the biathlete Martin Fourcade sent a message to ISF youth, wishing them good luck and a lot of fun while competing.

Special thanks go to the local resorts which helped the organisers make sure young athletes experience a safe and quality competition. Beside Grenoble, the official venues of ISF Winter Games were:

• Chamrousse
• Alpe d’Huez
• Vercors’ Plateau
• Villard de Land

ISF Winter Games were also supported by Olympic Channel which broadcasted alpine ski slalom. Replay can be found below:

https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/events/school-winter-games-world-schools-championship--major-multisport-events---grenoble-fra/

Crucial part of ISF Winter Games success were hundreds of students and their teachers, from over 136 schools (58 primary schools, 41 secondary schools and 37 high schools), who made sure young athletes and their delegations experienced a true festival of Olympism, Education and School Sport.

More on ISF Winter Games:

Results from all competitions

Photo galleries

Video recap by Vercors TV