Countdown next Olympic Games, Olympic countdown clock in Lausanne, Switzerland

The Countdown next Olympic Games is a large clock in Lausanne, Switzerland, built from pale gold-toned slabs of Jura limestone stacked into a block. Its upper face displays a grey-metallic plate with the red OMEGA logo and a Beijing 2008 emblem, while below, digital displays show days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the opening ceremony.

The Countdown next Olympic Games was inaugurated on 24 June 2013 in the presence of IOC President Jacques Rogge, whose term was ending. It was created as a tribute to him and to mark Lausanne's role as Olympic Capital, home to the IOC since 1915.

The stone faces are carved with pictograms of Olympic sports: seven for the winter games and 28 for the summer games, each cut by hand. These symbols change when a new edition approaches, so the monument reflects the shifting Olympic calendar.

The clock stands on Place de la Navigation near the Ouchy waterfront, an easy stop while walking along the lake. It is outdoors and always visible, so you can check the countdown at any time without planning ahead.

The clock weighs nearly 20 tons and stands about 13 feet (4 meters) tall, yet its stone panels are designed to be swapped when new Games approach. Local artisans carved the sports pictograms by hand, a detail easy to miss at first glance.