International Olympic Committee : News

Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games set to open 22 years after historic Olympic Winter Games

9/27/2013 2:24:00 PM

The Acting CEO of the Organising Committee (LYOGOC), Tomas Holmestad, said: “We are looking forward to creating Olympic experiences for a whole new generation. Nothing pleases us more than the symbolism that comes with the fact of having Lillehammer 2016’s Opening Ceremony on 12 February, exactly 22 years after the last Olympic Opening Ceremony in Lillehammer.”

The revised dates for the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games, Friday 12 February to Sunday 21 February 2016, replace the original dates proposed by LYOGOC, Friday 26 February to Sunday 6 March, which coincided with other major international sporting events in Norway. Over 1,100 athletes aged between 15 and 18, from some 70 nations, will be participating in sporting, educational and cultural activities over 10 days in Lillehammer.

Lillehammer 2016 Winter YOG set to open 22 years after historic Olympic Winter Games

9/27/2013 2:30:00 PM

“We are looking forward to creating Olympic experiences for a whole new generation”, commented the Acting CEO of the Lillehammer 2016 Organising Committee, Tomas Holmestad. “Nothing pleases us more than the symbolism that comes with the fact of having Lillehammer 2016’s Opening Ceremony on 12 February, exactly 22 years after the last Olympic Opening Ceremony in Lillehammer.”

The Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Games will take place from 12 to 21 February 2016. So whether you’re an Olympic fan, an aspiring young athlete or a keen volunteer, make a note in your diaries! See you there!

©YOCOG - Jørgen Skaug

Design the medal for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games!

9/2/2013 10:30:00 AM

All you have to do is go to www.medaldesigncompetition.com, get inspired and submit your very own design. The competition opens today and runs until 30 November 2013.

A prestigious judging panel, including the man behind the iconic London 2012 Olympic cauldron, Thomas Heatherwick, and Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games 400m hurdles champion Aurélie Chaboudez, will select the winner and two runners-up to be announced in December 2013.

The winning designer will win a trip to Nanjing, tickets to the Opening Ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games and a full collection of medals featuring their design!

So, what are you waiting for? Get those thinking caps on and get creative and we could see you in Nanjing!

Chad Le Clos announced as YOG Ambassador!

8/30/2013 10:00:00 AM

Now, our journey with Chad has come full circle as, with less than one year to go to the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, we can officially announce him as our latest YOG Ambassador.

Speaking about his nomination, the 21-year-old said: “The Youth Olympic Games were a huge stepping stone for me and helped me enormously in preparing for the pressures of my first Olympic Games in London. But more than the sport, the memories and friends that I made will last forever, and I’m excited to be part of the YOG experience once again.”
Chad follows in the footsteps of his inspiration, Michael Phelps, who served as a YOG Ambassador in Singapore in 2010.

“Michael was always an idol of mine growing up, and he was an inspiration to me going into the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games,” Chad added. “To be that source of inspiration for a whole new generation of athletes preparing for Nanjing 2014 is truly an honour.”

It’s great to have you on board, Chad! Stay tuned for our exclusive videos with Chad, including his training tips, a special YOG challenge and much, much more, coming soon.

Greta Small aims big for Sochi 2014

3/5/2013 3:40:00 PM

Now, the 17-year-old, who competed in her first senior World Ski Championships in Schladming (Austria) in February, has her sights set on competing at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and says the Youth Olympic Games helped put her on the path to achieving that goal.

“The Youth Olympic Games was a once-in-a-lifetime experience so it definitely helped me,” said Greta, who did not medal in Innsbruck. “The positive and negative experiences I had changed my mindset going into Sochi and for my racing career in general. If I had not had some of those negative experiences I would not be having the awesome results I am having now. I am a lot more relaxed in my skiing and towards races, which is ultimately making me ski faster.”

Greta’s compatriot and Innsbruck 2012 bronze medallist Alex Fitch also graduated to the senior World Championships this year, finishing 22nd in the snowboard half-pipe.

Alex won her Youth Olympic bronze medal in the snowboard slopestyle event which is one of the new additions to the Sochi 2014 programme.

One of the breakthroughs of the 2012 Australian Winter Youth Olympic Games campaign, Alex Ferlazzo, has also continued to excel since Innsbruck and could push for a place in Sochi 2014. Now in only his second season of competing in luge, Alex has made history by winning bronze at a Junior World Cup in Norway – Australia’s first ever medal at this level.

Good luck to Greta and her Australian YOG team mates and to all the Innsbruck athletes who are working hard to achieve their own goals!

Behind the Scenes with Kevin and Kai

2/27/2013 2:17:00 PM

We go behind the scenes of our “To Sochi With Love” video, bring you some epic tricks and learn about Kevin and Kai’s hopes for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, where both ski half-pipe and ski slope-style will make their Olympic debut.

Check it out for yourself!

Slopestyle vs Halfpipe by Kevin and Kai

2/22/2013 10:53:00 AM

What do you prefer? Slopestyle or half-pipe? Personally, we would take either, but we will let Kevin and Kai do the convincing with their silky skills. Here’s just a teaser of what to expect in the next installment of our exclusive shoot.

How to prevent sporting injuries

2/19/2013 4:00:00 PM

In this latest video, we look at how you can maxmise your results and reach your potential without putting yourself at risk of injury by following a few simple steps.

It’s not only about a balanced training programme and making sure you warm up properly before competitions; but also about giving yourself enough time to recover after competition and not over-training.

You can also help yourself by choosing the right equipment, staying well hydrated and listening to your body.

After all, preparation is key to being the best you can be.

Going for Arielle Gold at Sochi 2014

2/15/2013 12:53:00 PM

Last week, we showcased Swiss freestyle skier Kai Mahler in our exclusive video celebrating One Year to Go to Sochi 2014.

But Kai isn’t the only YOG athlete hanging out with the likes of world ski half-pipe champion and YOG Ambassador Kevin Rolland.

Last month, at the FIS Snowboard World Championships in Canada, 16-year-old US snowboarder Arielle Gold – who won two silver medals at the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games - not only competed against legends such as Australian veteran and two-time Olympian Holly Crawford, she beat them!

With a name like Arielle Gold, it’s easy to get carried away with thoughts of fairytale endings at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, but this teenager is staying level-headed.

“It’s always in the back of my head,” she said of making the US team for Sochi 2014. “But I’m just trying to focus on each individual contest rather than thinking that far ahead in the future. I’m just focusing on the present and doing the best I can.”

But taking just a moment to look back, Arielle says the Youth Olympic Games were an experience like no other, and calls them a “mellower version of the Olympic Games.”

“It was really cool to get to go and stay not only with athletes in my sport, but athletes from other winter sports,” she said: “It was cool getting to meet all of them and learning about their sports, because you don’t really see anything from other sports (when competing in snowboard) … like luge and things like that that I didn’t know anything about.”

For the full story visit the Team USA website here.

YOG athletes claim 12 medals at the London 2012 Olympic Games half-way point

8/4/2012 4:41:00 PM

Two years ago, 3,600 young athletes made history by competing in the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore. Fast-forward to 2012, and 150-plus of those same athletes are making history again by not only competing but also medalling in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Indeed at the half-way point, the YOG graduates have already made their mark on the Games by claiming an impressive 12 medals. With the tally including three gold medals, three silver medals and five bronze medals, if the YOG were a country it would currently be in 11th place in the medals table.

Many of them still teenagers, this pool includes athletes from over 80 NOCs competing in 19 sports. Among those flying the flag for the YOG are South Africa’s Chad le Clos, who dazzled the world when he beat defending Olympic champion and YOG Ambassador Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly to take gold; Jangmi Kim of South Korea, who showed true courage to hold on to her lead in the 25m pistol final despite strong competition for the top spot; and Kazakhstan’s Zulfiya Chinshanlo, who belied her years to be crowned Olympic champion in the women’s 53kg weightlifting.

Elsewhere, Sam Oldham and his team made history by winning the first GB medal in men’s gymnastics for 100 years when they claimed third place in the team all around. Mexico’s bronze medallist Mariana Avitia also made the history books as the first archer from her country to medal in the sport at an Olympic Games; and Australia’s Jessica Fox achieved what her mother set out to do in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, by beating K1 canoe slalom legend Stepanka Hilgertova to achieve silver. Not content with one medal, Russian artistic gymnast Viktoria Komova is also of particular note, winning silver in both the individual and team all around.

Fast becoming a poetic demonstration of the legacy of the YOG, these Games are far from over for the Youth Olympic Games alumni. Still to come, world champion diver Qiu Bo, from China, will aim for gold in the 10m platform; Great Britain’s Jade Jones has her sights set on a medal in the Taekwondo 57kg; and Angelica Bengtsson of Sweden takes on YOG Ambassador Yelena Isinbaeva in the pole vault.

Two years ago, these young athletes were experiencing the biggest competition of their young lives at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. The lessons they learned then, through both the sports competition and the culture and education programme, have helped shape them into the Olympians they are today – shining ambassadors for their country, their sport and the YOG.