The inaugural Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore drew to a close last month to a chorus of widespread praise led by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge.

The success of the event left high expectations for the inaugural winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck.

There are, however, fears that the Games in Austria could be overshadowed by London 2012 Games with the two taking place so close together.

Bayer though, claimed that the two events could actually benefit from being staged just a few months apart and stated that he feels the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympics will be the perfect teaser for London.

Bayer told insidethegames: "Talking about London, I think the Games can be a huge boost for us because the Olympic Games is like the mother [of the Youth Olympics] and usually the mother should take care of the child!

"We could be like a teaser to London and to be honest, I think that’s what we are.

"We don’t want to compare with Olympic Games, because we are something different, but we want to be connected to them so I am really not afraid at all that the two competitions are so close together; in fact I’m the opposite.

"I’m an optimistic and realistic person so I know that we will be able to use the London Games in way which will be positive for us.

"We will obviously have to be creative with how we go about promoting Innsbruck 2012 alongside London but I think it is something that we can do well."

Bayer claimed that, like London 2012, the Innsbruck Youth Olympics will create a lasting legacy for the people in the area that they would not have had without the event.

Bayer said: "We were very lucky to get the amazing piece of land that will be used for the Youth Olympics which we only got it because of the Games.

"If it wasn’t for the Games, it would have been sold on the free market and probably become another very expensive place to live in Innsbruck.

"It is a beautiful place and I think we can really use the Youth Olympics to do something for people in the area by creating cheaper housing for them from the Athlete’s Village once the Games are over.

"On top of that, it is not only a social housing project but also an environmentally friendly project due to the design and construction materials used for the buildings so we are very proud about that."

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