IOC President Believes Youth Games Will Inspire Sea Change

IOC President and former Olympic sailor Jacques Rogge (BEL) believes the culture, education and sense of fun that have permeated the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games would benefit the summer Olympics.

Rogge competed at three successive Olympic Games from 1968 and has championed the concept of Youth Olympic Games since becoming IOC president in 2001.

“I think the Olympic Games are maybe a little bit too serious, there is too much gravitas,” he said. “To introduce a little bit more of an element of fun would be good.”

The Belgian retraced his own sporting roots by watching the Youth Olympic Games regatta at the National Sailing Centre on Friday.

“I was raised in the very traditional model, youth classes and then the Olympic classes,” he continued.

“I would have been very happy to have had something like this. What we never had unfortunately, was this combination of education, culture and sport.”

“We were left to sport alone and of course sport is the core of everything we do but we thought bringing the young athletes together, having them benefit from the Olympic values and the education programme would have given them added value and I am very glad it is working well.”

Rogge was accompanied on his visit by Singapore’s deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean and Singapore 2010 chairman and IOC member Mr Ser Miang Ng.

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