The IOC decided to launch the Youth Olympic Games at the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City in July 2007. The Games aim to bring together talented young athletes - age group 14 to 18 - from around the world in an event which balances sport, education and culture.
The Vision
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) stated vision for the Youth Olympic Games is:
"is to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport and adopt and live by the Olympic values"
Alongside the competition and sporting aspect of the Games, there will be educational programmes on the Olympic values, the benefits of sport for a healthy lifestyle, the social values sport can deliver and the dangers of doping and of training to excess and/or of inactivity.
The Objectives
The IOC's stated objectives for the Youth Olympic Games are:
1. to bring together the world's best young athletes and celebrate them
2. to offer a unique and powerful introduction to Olympism
3. to innovate in educating and debating Olympic values and challenges of society
4. to share and celebrate the cultures of the world in a festive atmosphere
5. to reach youth communities throughout the world to promote Olympic values
6. to raise sports awareness and participation among young people
7. to act as a platform for initiatives within the Olympic Movement
8. to be an event of the highest international sporting standard
The First Youth Olympic Games
Eleven cities bid to host the first Games in 2010 and Singapore were choosen as host city at the IOC Session in January 2008.
The first Youth Olympic Games will feature all the sports on the programme for the 2012 Olympic Games, but with a more limited number of disciplines and events. The first Summer Youth Olympic Games will gather approximately 3,200 athletes and 800 officials and feature 100 sailors in four sailing events: one person dinghy men; one person dinghy women; windsurfing men; and windsurfing women.
International Olympic Committee Website
|
