By sportswriters Su Bin, Yang Fan

LES ROUSSES, France, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- National flags fluttered in the breeze: Switzerland, Sweden, and for sure, France.

Les Rousses, a French village near the border with Switzerland, is soaked in the atmosphere of an Olympic event while feeding back its enthusiasm for skiing.

Les Tuffes Nordic Center, located near the village, is the only competition site outside Switzerland for the ongoing 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games. The venue hosts biathlon, ski jumping and Nordic combined during the Games.

When athletes passed by on the course, bells rang with encouragement of "Allez", a French word meaning "Come on".

Every time when athletes hit the targets in the shooting range, "Oui", signalling "Yes", was heard from spectators.

"The crowds pushed us forward. Without doubt we could use it to gain some seconds in skiing," said Frenchwoman Jeanne Richard, the single mixed relay champion.

"I'm not surprised because I know people here really appreciate biathlon and all sports. They are here to support all athletes, not only for the French athletes," commented Marie-Laure Brunet, a retired French biathlete who won a bronze medal in the women's pursuit at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

As scheduled, the Lausanne 2020 biathlon matches are free to public.

"It's very important for these young athletes to live in Olympic experience to be supported by everybody. With free entrance, it's easier to have the crowds. It's a good thing for the young, school, crowds and families," Brunet added.

Around 3,500 school kids in the Jura department were invited to watch Tuesday's men's and women's sprint races.

"We are quite happy to be here," one kid said.

After China's Shi Yuanyuan finished the interview, he was surrounded by several local kids for autographs, making him feel like a star.

"For them, it's the first time to be interviewed and be surrounded by those younger fans," Jiang Yang, an official in charge of the Chinese biathlon team during the competition, commented.

"The atmosphere felt pretty good here. Many kids here let out interactive hurrays as athletes hit targets. It felt like being in the World Cup venue."

Just as Brunet put it, athletes from other nations other than hosts France also felt the craze.

"Everything about here is positive. We are supposed to leave tomorrow, but we don't want to leave," said Russia's Denis Irodov.

Irodov added that "it's almost a perfect place for biathlon, especially during the Youth Olympic Games. I really hope this venue will have many more competitions in the coming years."

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet admitted he was impressed by the atmosphere.

"It's really impressive. This is the first time for such an Olympic event held by two countries working together. There has been fantastic collaboration between the two countries and the two organizing committees," he told Xinhua.

For Estanguet, after two-year cooperation between people from the Lausanne 2020 and Les Tuffes, "the result is just amazing. The crowds are very excited. The athletes are very happy."

Several hundred meters away from the competition area, many cars are parked outside a skiing station around 9 a.m.. Inside the station, kids followed the guidance of skiing.

Five-day biathlon competition of the Winter YOG have concluded at the Les Tuffes Nordic Center. But enthusiasm is expected to continue here as the venue will be transferred to Nordic combined action on Saturday.

Because skiing has been put into people's veins here, indeed. Enditem

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