International Olympic Committee : News

Young athletes use Youth Olympic Games as springboard to London 2012

8/15/2011 4:30:00 PM

It has been one year since the start of the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG), and now some of the 3,600 athletes who competed at the event in Singapore are capitalising on the time spent there as they set their sights on the London 2012 Olympic Games.

With qualifying events for the London Games taking place around the world, the young Olympic hopefuls say the vital experience they gained at Singapore 2010 – both in competition and out – has aided their development and made them more prepared for international competition when up against older athletes.

“Through the Youth Olympic Games, I feel that I took one step further, like crossing a hurdle,” said the first Youth Olympic Games gold medal winner, triathlete Yuka Sato of Japan. “It gave me confidence to stand at starting grids with some pride, even in elite races.”

Boxer Tony Yoka of France, also a gold medal winner at Singapore 2010, said he was thankful for his involvement at the Youth Olympic Games. “I hope to qualify for the Olympic Games in London,” he said. “[The Youth Olympic Games] prepared me by giving me experience and enabled me to win a gold medal and, above all, gain in self-confidence.”

The world’s best athletes aged 14 to 18 took part in the Singapore 2010 Games. They were accompanied by 1,850 officials, and some 20,000 volunteers helped make the organisational aspect of the Games a success. Ambassadors Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Yelena Isinbayeva acted as mentors to the athletes through a promotional campaign, while over 30 Olympic and World Champions attended the Games as Athlete Role Models, offering first-hand advice to athletes in the Village.

The 50 Culture and Education Programme activities that were an integral part of the YOG were extremely popular with the athletes, and, over the duration of the 12 days, almost all of the 3,600 athletes visited the World Anti-Doping Agency and UNAIDS booths in the Youth Olympic Village.

Note to Editors:
The Youth Olympic Games in Singapore helped a great number of athletes prepare for their future Olympic careers. If you wish to cover their stories as they prepare for the London Games, please check out our broadcast-quality footage of Singapore 2010 and interviews with the following YOG alumni: Sam Oldham (Great Britain), Jade Jones (Great Britain), Yuka Sato (Japan), Tony Yoka (France), Alexander Massialas (USA), Nathan Schrimsher (USA), Aleix Heredia (Spain), Ibrahim Sabry (Egypt) and Mariana Avitia (Mexico).

Should you wish to interview other athletes who participated in the Singapore 2010 YOG and who are training to qualify for London 2012, please do not hesitate to contact us at the numbers below.
For accreditation to the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, in January 2012, please click here.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org

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Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org

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Innsbruck 2012

1st edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games, Innsbruck, Austria,13 to 22 January 2012 Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Successful Singapore Youth Olympic Games Come to a Close

8/26/2010 12:27:00 PM

The Closing Ceremony of the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games brought a dramatic and emotional end to 12 days of world-class sporting competition and cultural and educational activities in Singapore on Thursday night.

Some 3,600 athletes aged 14 to 18 took part in the Singapore 2010 Games. They were accompanied by 1,850 officials, and some 20,000 volunteers helped make the organisational aspect of the Games a success.

Medals were won by nearly half of the nations and territories (93 of the 205 territories) taking part in the Games. And the Games featured a number of exciting new innovations, including new sports formats like 3-on-3 basketball, combined discipline cycling, head-to-head sprints in canoe-kayak, and new technology such as the modern pentathlon laser gun. Many sports included a combination of mixed National Olympic Committee and mixed gender sports such as triathlon relays, archery, table tennis, fencing and swimming relays, to name but a few.

The more than 50 Culture and Education Programme activities were extremely popular with the athletes, so much so that additional sessions were added by the organisers. One of the most well-received CEP events was the Chat With Champions session featuring Olympic champion pole vaulters Sergey Bubka and Yelena Isinbaeva, who were a source of inspiration to the young athletes during a lively and often amusing question-and-answer period. Over the duration of the 12 days, almost all the 3,600 athletes visited the World Anti-Doping Agency and UNAIDS booths in the Youth Olympic Village.

The athletes participating in Singapore 2010 were joined by 29 Young Reporters, who actively provided content to the international media, while 30 Young Ambassadors supported and mentored their national delegations. Over 40 Athlete Role Models from the International Federations and International Olympic Committee also offered advice and tips to the athletes in and around the Athletes’ Village.

Global interest in the Youth Olympic Games has been strong, with over 160 rights-holding broadcasters providing coverage and over 1,900 accredited international media in attendance in Singapore. Videos on the Youth Olympic Games Channel have been viewed over five million times, and at one point it was the third most watched YouTube channel worldwide. To date, 36 per cent of all viewers have been under the age of 24. The Games were also broadcast live online on the Singapore 2010 Official Webcasting Platform.

The IOC has also reached out to a young audience around the world on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. More than half of the 3.6 million fans across the Olympic Facebook platforms are between the ages of 13 and 24. The Singapore 2010 and Youth Olympic Games pages now have more than 100,000 “fans”.

The Olympic.org website is receiving its highest number of views since Vancouver 2010, with over two million page views in August alone, while the Singapore Youth Olympic Games site has enjoyed more than a million visits since the start of the Games on 14 August.

The first winter edition of the Youth Olympic Games will take place in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012, while the second summer edition will kick off in Nanjing, China, in 2014.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Communications Department:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org/youtholympicgames

Videos

Broadcast quality videos can be accessed via our FTP site:
ftp://ftp_int.olympic.org/ioc_media (we advise you to use an FTP reader, type: filezilla)
Username: IOC_MEDIA
Password: Iocmedia2010
YouTube: www.youtube.com/olympicsingapore2010
Watch videos of the action on demand at www.youtholympicgames.org

Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org

Social media

For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Singapore 2010 Closing Ceremony Speech by IOC President, Jacques Rogge

8/26/2010 2:50:00 PM

Congratulations and thank you, Singapore, for a job superbly done.

You rose brilliantly to the challenge of combining elite sport, modern education and culture.

Throughout these 12 days, we all enjoyed the warm hospitality of the public authorities, of the very successful Organising Committee and of the 20,000 wonderful volunteers.

These Games will leave a great human legacy in Singapore and around the world.

These Games were full of innovation, creativity, joy and a sharing of Olympic values.

Dear athletes, you made us proud.

You have learnt what it means to be a true champion, not simply a winner.

You have shown us that a new generation is ready to embrace and share Olympic values.

You thrilled us with your splendid performances. But, more than that, you inspired us with your enthusiasm, your spirit and the sheer joy you brought to the task of competing, learning and living with fellow athletes from around the world.

These were truly inspirational games.

Dear athletes, you have now earned the title Young Olympian.

And when, years from now, you reflect on your sports career, you will be able to say: “I was in Singapore, where it all began.”
The Youth Olympic Flame will go out tonight, but the spirit of Singapore will remain.

The International Olympic Committee will continue to promote this spirit at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, and at the second Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.

You, dear athletes, will keep this Singapore Spirit alive in your countries as true role models.

I now declare the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore closed, and, in accordance with tradition, I call upon the Youth of the World to assemble in four years’ time in Nanjing, China, for the second Summer Youth Olympic Games.

Thank you.

Girl Power at the YOG!

8/26/2010 12:11:00 PM

With roughly 46 per cent of the 3,600 athletes who participated in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games being female, Singapore 2010 is expected to see record participation by girls and women in an Olympic event. It also marked the debut of mixed events featuring teams with both men and women and athletes from different nationalities participating together in various sports.

Mixed gender events a success

"It was such a fascinating experience to participate in the mixed-super-sprint relay at the YOG” said triathlete Yuko Sato from Japan, who had won the first YOG competition with the individual women’s event earlier and placed eighth with her “Asia 1” team. She added: “It wasn't a race in which you should think of yourself, but it got me thinking of something more important - team spirit. One for all and all for one!! Of course, I had to handle some pressure to meet the team's expectations, but this is also something one has to overcome to rise to the next level as an athlete."

Female role models inspire young athletes

After their competitions and in their free time, the young athletes participated in a Culture and Education Programme (CEP) which was filled with more than 50 fun, interactive and educational activities and aimed to encourage the young athletes to learn and share, and build to friendships with their peers. For instance, during the “Chat with Champions”, participants learnt about personal experiences of top-level athletes, among them many female role models. One of them was Barbara Kendall, Olympic champion and mother of two. “I have had many young athlete girls come up to me so excited to hear you can have a family and still compete and that I have been to five Olympic Games” she said, adding: “I tell them that if you really want to achieve, it is up to you. It is about knowledge = confidence = success and learning as much as you can and doing everything with 100% effort and passion. Also, balancing sport, education and family is crucial for longevity in sport - that is why I competed for so long and what made my life happy.”

Customised offers for girl athletes at the YOG

“We want to provide the athletes with the tools to take ownership of their futures”, said IOC President Jacques Rogge about the objective of the CEP shortly before the opening of the Youth Olympic Games. Customised offers for the girls and women participating included education about a Healthy Body Image, nutritional advice and career planning.

Join the Olympic Social Media Club!

8/17/2010 6:07:00 PM

Today’s young people have never known life without the internet. They have grown up with a mouse in their hands and the world wide web at their fingertips. In fact, the internet has become such a huge part of their everyday lives that recent figures indicated that the average teen spends as much as 31 hours per week online. It’s little wonder that the IOC is using digital media more and more as a way to engage with young people and encourage them to be more active when it comes to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

Indeed, with over 1.7 million young fans on the IOC’s social-networking site Facebook, and thousands more followers on micro-blogging site Twitter, the Olympic Games has already taken the social media world by storm – and now the Youth Olympic Games is doing the same.

February saw the launch of the YOG’s very own Facebook and Twitter pages, with both attracting more and more followers each day, enabling young people to keep up-to-date with all the latest news, videos, photos and events in the build-up to Singapore 2010. The Youth Olympic Games also features on the IOC’s digital platforms, which will provide on-line coverage of the Games-time action.

The IOC has made “Expression through digital media” one of the five educational themes of the Culture and Education Programme at the Youth Olympic Games, and has launched a number of social and digital media initiatives.

As well as Facebook and Twitter, the IOC has launched an innovative YOG micro-site, known as the “Cube”. This dynamic platform, which incorporates the new YOG-DNA visual identity, features the latest news about the Youth Olympic Games, the sport and culture and education programmes. This platform also provides links to exciting initiatives such as the Best of Us Challenge and Medal Design Competition, which have both enjoyed huge success.

The Best of Us Challenge, which forms part of the IOC’s Best of Us campaign, has proved particularly popular – attracting over 3.5 million views on YouTube, as users attempt to beat sporting challenges that have been set by current and past Olympians, including YOG Ambassadors Michael Phelps and Yelena Isinbayeva. The prizes on offer include memorabilia signed by Olympians and a trip for two to Singapore for the inaugural YOG. The Medal Design Competition, meanwhile, offered members of the public the once-in-a-lifetime chance to design the medals for Singapore 2010.

The contest attracted entries from more than 34 countries, with all the designs posted online, allowing internet users to vote for their favourites. The 10 designs that received the most public votes were then presented to an IOC jury, who selected the winner.

Another aspect of the Cube is the Participants section, which allows YOG athletes, Young Ambassadors and Young Reporters to upload their own personal profiles and videos.

“Of course, we want the best athletes to come to Singapore, but we want them to do more than just compete,” explains Gilbert Felli, IOC Executive Director of Olympic Games. “We also want to encourage interactivity between the kids who are competing and those watching at home – the web provides a fantastic platform to make this possible.”

This unique platform is something that could really enrich the YOG experience, according to Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes.

“Sport should be something that unites people,” she says. “If you can help young people communicate with each other then they’re going to have a better experience when they actually get to the Games. It’s possible that some of these people will be competing against each other all the way through until they’re seniors, and I think it’s always good to have a friendly rivalry. At the end of the day, rivalry should be left on the track. I think it’s a great way for young people to open their minds, being perceptive of people from other cultures and not having any barriers.”

The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) has also been complementing the IOC’s efforts in using digital media to connect with young people by launching a number of exciting programmes. The Million Deeds Challenge, for example, invited members of the public to share examples of when their actions had embodied the Olympic values of excellence, friendship or respect. Each contribution on the Million Deeds Challenge website helped move a virtual Olympic Flame a step closer on its journey from Greece to Singapore.

SYOGOC has also created an online virtual world, Singapore 2010 Odyssey, which enables kids around the world to learn more about sport, culture, the Olympic values and Singapore 2010. Users can interact with each other in the 3D virtual world, and even explore the venues in which the action will take place in August.

Other initiatives include the WhyOhGee micro-site, which features content developed by young people, such as blogs, photos and videos. Even the Singapore mascots – Lyo and Merly – are getting in on the act, with their own personal Facebook page, where videos and photos are posted to show their fans what events they’ve been attending in
the build-up to Singapore 2010.

The Games themselves will have digital media at their core. Each athlete will be given a handheld device called a “Digital Concierge”, supplied by Worldwide TOP Partner Samsung, which will keep them up-to-date with the latest competition information, as well as providing updates from venues and the Olympic Village.

Other TOP Partners are also supporting these efforts, with Acer supplying Young Ambassadors and Young Reporters with a limited edition Olympic laptop so that they can share their experiences with the world, and Panasonic offering digital cameras to all Young Reporters to help tell their stories from the Games.

With so many ways to interact and engage, the first YOG look set to be a milestone in the IOC’s history as it embraces digital media like never before. So what are you waiting for? Point your browser at the “Cube” and get involved!

First Youth Olympic Games officially under way in Singapore

8/14/2010 11:30:00 AM

The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games officially got under way today with an Opening Ceremony at the Marina Bay Floating Stadium in downtown Singapore.

With the city skyline providing an impressive backdrop, some 3,600 athletes aged 14 to 18 marched in the Parade of Nations, which was followed by speeches from International Olympic Committee President (IOC) Jacques Rogge and Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee Chairman (SYOGOC) Ser Miang Ng.

“Tonight we open a new chapter in the history of the Olympic Movement,” said President Rogge. “From this moment on, young people around the world have a chance to participate in a global event that combines sport, education and culture.”

The IOC President added that he expected the first-ever Youth Olympic Games, which run from 14 to 26 August, to produce high-level sporting competition within an Olympic environment while at the same time providing the athletes with a platform to learn, share and build friendships through a supporting Culture and Education Programme.

Attending the Opening Ceremony were Singapore Prime Minister Hsien Loong, Coordination Commission Chairman for the 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games Sergey Bubka, and Youth Olympic Games Ambassador Yelena Isinbaeva, among others.

Addressing the athletes, President Rogge said their participation at the Youth Olympic Games would help them “learn the difference between winning and being a champion. To win, you merely have to cross the finish line first. To be a champion, you have to inspire admiration for your character, as well as for your physical talent.”

With sport as a foundation, the Youth Olympic Games will give the young athletes their first taste of the Olympic experience and provide valuable lessons that the athletes can leverage in their future careers, be it in sport or other vocations.

Singapore 2010 will feature some of the world’s most talented young athletes from 205 territories who will take part in the 26 sports currently on the Summer Olympic Programme as well as some exciting new events, including 3-on-3 basketball, head-to-head canoe and kayak, and cycling combined (BMX/mountain bike/road).

The Youth Olympic Games will also introduce for the first time the mixed-gender competition format that will see both boys and girls competing in the same event in sports such as triathlon and swimming, among others.

In addition to competing individually for their National Olympic Committees, the young athletes will also participate on teams made up of different nationalities. The mixed events are meant to strengthen bonds between the athletes and foster better understanding of each other’s cultures and backgrounds.

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Click here to read IOC President Jacques Rogge's full speech

Click here to read Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee Chairman (SYOGOC) Ser Miang Ng's full speech

Watch live www.youtholympicgames.org

Also available on this platform are the following events from the Youth Olympic Village:

17 August 2010 – 7 p.m. Singapore – 11 a.m. GMT - Chat with Olympic Champions Yelena Isinbaeva and Sergey Bubka

20 August 2010 – 8:30 p.m. Singapore – 12:30 p.m. GMT – Evening Festival with international bands

For more information, please contact the IOC Communications Department:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org/youtholympicgames

Videos
Broadcast quality videos can be accessed via our FTP site:
ftp://ftp_int.olympic.org/ioc_media (we advise you to use an FTP reader, type: filezilla)
Username: IOC_MEDIA
Password: Iocmedia2010

YouTube: www.youtube.com/olympicsingapore2010

Photos
For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org

Social media
For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

A buzz of culture and education for young athletes in Singapore

8/13/2010 10:00:00 AM

The first-ever Youth Olympic Games (YOG) kick off in Singapore. Between 14 and 26 August, about 3,600 young athletes from all corners of the world will get together to participate in high-level competition in 26 sports – and in a customised Culture and Education Programme (CEP) during their free time. The programme, which will be tested for the first time, is filled with more than 50 fun, interactive and educational activities and aims to encourage the young athletes to learn and share, and build to friendships with their peers.

Providing important tools for life

“We want to equip them with the skills to make reasoned, intelligent decisions in life” says IOC President Jacques Rogge, explaining: “The programme will last the duration of the Games and cover a host of topics, including the benefits of leading healthy lifestyles, the dangers of doping, and the value of friendship, solidarity and fair play. We want to provide the athletes with the tools to take ownership of their futures. If they choose to continue with sport as a career — some may even go on to become future Olympians — they must be fully aware it is not a lifetime occupation. Even the greatest athletes typically end their sporting careers in their 30s. Communicating with athletes in their teens, who are potentially more receptive than their elder peers, is crucial.”

Five themes

All the CEP activities will centre on the five themes of Olympism, Skills Development, Well-Being and Healthy Lifestyle, Social Responsibility and Expression. Various international organisations, including three UN agencies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Olympic Academy (IOA) and the International Fairplay Committee (CIFP) are supporting the IOC and the Singapore organisers to implement these activities.

More than 50 activities

The young athletes can choose from over 50 CEP activities which will be delivered in different ways. Workshops will be held in the Athletes' Village to educate them about healthy lifestyles and the prevention of injuries. During chats with Olympians and other role models, the youngsters will learn about personal experiences of top-level athletes: what worked for them and what they would have done better to avoid. Through exhibitions and interactive booths, the YOG participants can explore global topics such as their personal carbon footprint, HIV prevention, children’s rights and first aid measures. They can also learn more about Olympic history and the value of fair play.

Discovering Singapore and its locals

The “World Cultural Village” will feature cultural booths, hosted by Singaporean Youth, which will present the more than 200 participating National Olympic Committees. Drumming and circus arts activities will be another opportunity for the young athletes to mingle with locals. During the evenings, there will be festivals in the Athletes’ Village with an exciting mix of music and dance performances as well as art installations. However, the young athletes will also have the opportunity to get out of the venues and discover Singapore and its surroundings. Island Adventure will bring them to one of Singapore’s offshore islands to participate in team-building and water activities. They can also embark on a green experience during a trip to HortPark and Marina Barrage, two of Singapore’s newest environment-themed attractions.

From athlete to ambassador

“The key is to present the information in a manner that the athletes find both enjoyable and relevant to their lives” concludes Rogge, adding: “At the end of the day, success depends on to what extent the athletes are willing to accept and embrace the information they receive. It is our great hope that the athletes will act as ambassadors and be active in their communities by sharing what they learn when they return home from Singapore.”

Find out more about the Culture and Education Programme over the next few days on www.olympic.org.

Singapore 2010 adopts new sport formats

8/12/2010 3:39:00 PM

The first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore will feature all 26 sports currently on the programme of the London 2012 Olympic Games. What will differ in some cases are the disciplines and format, such as 3 on 3 street basketball, a mixed gender relay in the swimming pool, a medley relay on the track or events in which athletes from different National Olympic Committees compete on the same team. Read on to see what your favourite sports will consist of in Singapore...

Aquatics (diving and swimming)

Aquatics comprises diving and swimming. There will be two diving events for both men and women, 3m springboard and 10m platform. Swimming events include freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and medley, both individual and relay. As a first, a mixed gender event for 4 x 100m freestyle relay and 4 x 100m medley relay is included.

Archery

Archery will feature individual men, women and mixed team competitions. The distance that athletes will be shooting is 70m.

Athletics

Athletics comprises a total 36 events for both men and women. The track events will include 1000m and 3000m races as well as a 2000m steeplechase and a medley relay. There will be eight field events (four jumps and four throws).

Badminton

Badminton will feature men’s and women’s singles events in Singapore.

Basketball

Basketball 3 on 3 will be played at the YOG. There will be two teams of three players on court at any one time. This fast-paced game is played on a half court, with one basketball hoop. It includes two periods of five minutes each. The winner is the first team to score 33 points, or the team that is leading the game at the end of the fifteen minutes of play.

Boxing

Boxing will feature men’s events. There will be 11 different weight categories, ranging from 48kg to the 91kg+ division.

Canoe-Kayak

Canoe-Kayak will feature four events for men and two for women. Both will race
in head-to-head sprints and obstacle slaloms in the kayak category. The men will also compete in the same events in canoes.

Cycling

The Cycling competition will involve teams. Each team consists of three men and one woman. The three men are required to compete in one discipline each (BMX, MTB and Time Trial), while the woman has to compete in all three disciplines. All male riders also have to compete in the Road Race.

Equestrian

In Equestrian, only the jumping events will take place (team and individual). The Organising Committee will provide the horses, which will be assigned to riders by draw. For the team event, there will be six teams representing each FEI regional zone.

Fencing

Fencing will feature individual competitions in the foil, epée and sabre for men and women, and a mixed team competition.

Football

Football will consist of a six-team competition, representing all continents, for both men and women.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is split into artistic and rhythmic, as in the Olympic Games. The artistic competition will feature eight individual men’s events and six individual women’s events. The rhythmic competition consists of two events – individual and team – for women.

Handball

Handball is a six-team tournament, representing all continents, for men and for women.

Hockey

Hockey is the same as football and handball – a six-team competition, representing all continents for both men and women.

Judo

There are a total of eight weight categories for both men and women in the Judo competition. There is also a mixed team event.

Modern Pentathlon

The Modern Pentathlon competition consists of four of the five modern pentathlon disciplines: fencing, swimming, running and shooting. The fifth discipline, riding, will not be competed at Singapore 2010. The run-shoot format will be competed. In the Combined event, laser shooting is being used for the first time.

Rowing

Both the men and women will compete in two events in Rowing – single sculls and pairs.

Sailing

The Sailing competition comprises four events, with men and women sailing in either the one person dinghy or the windsurfing.

Shooting

In Shooting, the men and women will compete in both air rifle and air pistol.

Table Tennis

Table tennis will consist of men’s singles, women’s singles and a mixed team competition.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo will see athletes competing in five weight categories per gender.

Tennis

There will be both men’s singles and doubles and women’s singles and doubles in the Tennis tournament.

Triathlon

The Triathlon competition format for individual competitions includes a 750m swim in open water, a 20km cycle ride and a 5km run. The 4 x mixed team relay competition includes a 250m swim in open water, a 7km cycle ride and a 1.7km run.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a six-team men’s and women’s competition.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting sees men competing in six weight categories, while women will compete in five weight categories. The combined results of the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk will produce the champion of each weight category.

Wrestling

The Wrestling competition will see men compete in Greco-Roman (five weight categories) and freestyle (five weight categories) and women in freestyle (four weight categories).

Only three days to go until the inaugural Youth Olympic Games!

8/11/2010 11:59:00 AM

This Saturday, 14 August 2010, some 3,600 talented young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 from around the world will be eagerly awaiting the start of the opening ceremony of the first ever edition of the Youth Olympic Games. All of them will have travelled to Singapore to participate in a high-level sporting competition which mirrors the Olympic Games sports programme.

The Youth Olympic Games, which will run from 14 to 26 August, differs from any sporting event that has come before it. They will feature exciting new sporting events, cultural and educational activities supported by a number of enthusiastic mentors, will use social media extensively to reach out and spark the interest of young people around the world. The Youth Olympic Games are, in a word, unique.

The first Summer edition will be broadcast on television in over 160 territories across all five continents by the IOC’s rights holding broadcast partners. Coverage will be shown as part of a daily highlights programme in some territories, while others will show live coverage.

The Games will also be broadcast online across the world, both live and as video on demand, on the Youth Olympic Games broadcast platform www.youtholympicgames.org,
Footage will also be available as video on demand on the IOC’s Youtube platform at www.youtube.com/olympicsingapore2010

The Youth Olympic Games are not solely intended to appeal to the participants travelling to Singapore. The ultimate goal is to engage young people around the world in sports, active lifestyles and the Olympic values. To help achieve this, the IOC is presenting the Youth Olympic Games in the most modern, interactive way possible. The list of online and social media programmes is extensive. In addition to its home website www.olympic.org/yog, the Youth Olympic Games enjoys a growing online presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Competitions have been run on flickr (to become an official IOC photographer), and YouTube (to compete against the world’s best athletes), as well as a dedicated website offering the chance to design the first ever Youth Olympic Games medals. Click here for more information on the IOC’s social media initiatives.

In addition to top-class competition in the sports seen on the programme of the Olympic Games, spectators will be treated to some exciting new events, including 3-on-3 basketball, head-to-head canoe and kayak, and cycling combined (BMX/mountain bike/road).

As well as competing individually for their National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the young athletes will also participate in competition on teams made up of different nationalities and on teams containing both girls and boys. These mixed events are meant to strengthen bonds between the athletes and foster better understanding of each other’s cultures and backgrounds.

The Youth Olympic Games will also feature a Culture and Education Programme (CEP) with fun and engaging activities designed to provide guidance to the participants on a wide range of topics, including Olympic values, the benefits of leading healthy lifestyles and the prevention of sports injuries, among others.

Olympic champions Usain Bolt, Yelena Isinbaeva and Michael Phelps have volunteered to be Youth Olympic Games Ambassadors and have been helping to coach and inspire the participants in the run up to the Games. Leading lights in each sport have also been chosen by the International Federations (IFs) to act as Athlete Role Models in Singapore. Their ranks include members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, with Sergey Bubka and Frank Fredericks among the list.

30 Young Ambassadors nominated by their NOCs will be on hand to take part in the CEP. The Young Ambassadors are between the ages of 18 and 28 and come from a variety of nations and backgrounds and have already been instrumental in promoting the Youth Olympic Games in their home countries. Young Reporters, 29 budding journalists between the ages of 18 and 24, will be capturing the action in Singapore. They will receive cross-platform journalism training as well as on-the-job training on the ground, sharing their experiences via blogs, www.olympic.org and the written press worldwide.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Communications Department:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org/youtholympicgames

Videos

Broadcast quality videos can be accessed and downloaded from our FTP for free:
ftp://ftp_int.olympic.org/ioc_media
user: IOC_MEDIA
password: Iocmedia2010
YouTube: www.youtube.com/olympicsingapore2010

Photos

For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org

Social media

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Games They Can Call Their Own

8/6/2010 9:26:00 AM

Kimiya Shokoohi is a 19-year-old journalism student from Vancouver, Canada. During the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver she took on the challenge to report on the Games from a Youth Olympic Games (YOG) perspective. She worked as a roving YOG Reporter, interviewing athletes, spectators and sports personalities. Her images, videos and articles were relayed through the YOG microsite “The Cube” on www.olympic.org and through YOG social media platforms for fans of the Youth Olympic Games to follow. Whilst in Vancouver, she took the opportunity to grab a few words with IOC President, Jacques Rogge.

How did the idea of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) come about?
Jacques Rogge: The Youth Olympic Games is a project that I have had in my mind for a long time. When I was elected President of the European Olympic Committees in 1989, Europe was divided into two with the Berlin Wall in between. There was very little contact for young people between the two divided areas. I thought that a youth competition could help remedy that and we started the first edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival in Brussels in 1991. This was when I saw an opportunity to develop an international event that would couple sport with education and could act as a catalyst to engage young people around the world. I have always held a strong belief in the importance of sports events for younger generations.

Why is it important for the YOG to have its own identity?
Jacques Rogge: The Youth Olympic Games are about much more than sport. They are about educating young athletes in Olympic values, healthy lifestyle, well-being and social responsibility. They are not a mini-Olympic Games. There is a lot we carry over from the Olympic Games to the YOG, Olympic symbols such as the podium, the flame, and the values, but the YOG have their own unique identity. Also, the creative approach to the sports competition at the YOG help to give the event its own identity. For example, there will be mixed-gender events as well as events in which athletes from different National Olympic Committees compete on the same team.

Why is it important to have the Culture and Education Programme in the YOG?
Jacques Rogge: The Culture and Education Programme at the YOG is as important as the competition itself. There are already world championships and junior world championships for most Olympic sports so there was no need to create something that would mimic what the sports federations are already doing. But I felt that there was an element missing in the traditional pattern of world youth championships and that’s the education part.

IOC/Richard Juilliart

What sort of values will the participants be taught?
Jacques Rogge: The YOG participants are in the 14 to 18 age range which is the ideal age to teach them the values of Olympism. These are the traditional values of the Olympic Games which are the pursuit of excellence, friendship and respect for each other, respect for social values like the environment. We also want them to learn about important issues such as the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the dangers of doping or their role as sports ambassadors in their communities. The Youth Olympic Games are about learning and sharing.

Will there be doping controls at the YOG?
Jacques Rogge: Yes of course there will be doping controls. Everyone who reaches the podium will be tested, plus a number of other athletes at the event picked at random. There will be a full-scale doping control like at the Olympic Games.

Why is it important to have Athlete Role Models and YOG Ambassadors involved in the YOG?
Jacques Rogge: The vision of the Youth Olympic Games is to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport, and the role of the Athlete Role Models and YOG Ambassadors is to help us to make this vision a reality. We want these amazing individuals who have already achieved so much in their sporting careers, to influence young people to play an active role in their communities. Everyone looks up to a role model whatever their age! We also have Young Ambassadors who have been chosen by 30 NOCs for this first edition of the YOG. This group of young people will be on hand during the Games to guide the athletes through the Culture and Education Programme, they are also a great way of reaching out to young people around the world to promote the YOG and Olympic values.

How will you define the success of the YOG?
Jacques Rogge: Basically it’s the satisfaction of the athletes. I will ask the athletes if they’re happy and if they’re happy, the Games have been a success.

Had the YOG existed when you were a young athlete, in which sport would you have competed?
Jacques Rogge: It would have been sailing – the sport I competed in at the Olympic Games. I am a true sports fan and love all sports but I was born close to the sea so the obvious thing to do was to start sailing.

Your final word of advice for the young athletes going into these Games?
Jacques Rogge: Have fun!