Olympic.org picks out some of the most eye-catching performances from former Youth Olympic Games (YOG) athletes in recent weeks, as the YOG continue to provide a springboard to the international stage.

On the opening day of its first full meeting at Olympic House, the new headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland, the IOC Executive Board (EB) was given a report on the steps being taken in boxing on the road to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo 2020’s test events aren’t just about checking the venues are ready; they’re also a forum for sports federations and organisers to experiment with innovations. Among the most interesting is the one being trialled in taekwondo. 

Near-perfect World Championships delighted organisers, athletes and fans – and, with Japan topping the medal table, cranked up the excitement ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.

Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho is the only woman to have won four consecutive individual Olympic gold medals in the same discipline. A superstar in Japan, she remains undefeated at the Games since women’s freestyle wrestling was included on the programme at Athens 2004, and she intends to continue this run by doing everything she can to rise to challenge number five: victory on home soil at the Tokyo Games!

Three years ago, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Rio 2016 mesmerised people around the world. Since then, despite the political, economic and social challenges affecting Brazil, the benefits created by the Games have kept the Olympic spirit alive. Today, many of the Olympic venues that witnessed unforgettable sporting performances in 2016 continue to be at the heart of local and international action.