Act with humanity. Simply question the Youth Olympic Games.

Approved in July 2007 by the International Olympic Committee, the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be followed by the 2012 Winter YOG, 2014 Summer YOG, 2016 Winter YOG ... and so on ...  in alternate years to the current "Professional" Olympic Games.

Wait a minute. Not so fast.  Consider that at this time, it goes against common sense for humanity to accept further International Olympic Committee global events at the moment we seek to protect our children by reducing carbon emissions.

The Youth Olympic Games would sensibly be launched in global celebration once we have resolved the risk of climate change.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Death of US National Team Olympic Swimmer Crippen Shocks Swimming World

From reports coming out of the UAE, complete facts surrounding the death of Fran Crippen are unknown. Unfortunately, it appears the voiceless athlete is being held out again by the international sporting federation - a member of the Olympic Movement.

And this is the second time in less than one year:

1) On Fran Crippen's passing: “What we know initially is that he exerted himself more than he could, that’s what we know,” said FINA President Julio Maglione of Uruguay, attending an International Olympic Committee conference in Acapulco, Mexico.

2) Remember how quickly the International Luge Federation said Nodar Kumaritashvili was at fault for his own death.


Another athlete - who survived a catastrophic Pre-Olympic accident - finds her voice to speak out to show that the public should not so easily accept media stories which lay blame on the athlete in Olympic event accidents: http://www.kimberly2004.com  




Mon, October 25, 2010 | link 

Monday, October 18, 2010

Inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games: International Olympic Committee Disqualifies Silver Medalist for Doping

As reported by the Associated Press on October 15, 2010:

IOC catches 2 wrestlers doping at the Youth Olympics

Two 17-year-old wrestlers, including a silver medalist, failed doping tests at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and have been disqualified by the International Olympic Committee.

Link to full AP article

The article also reported "Samples are frozen for eight years and stored for future analysis in the event that new tests are developed."



Mon, October 18, 2010 | link 

Monday, October 11, 2010

Meeting on Youth Olympic Games Learnings set for October 21 in Acapulco Mon, October 11, 2010 | link 

Monday, October 4, 2010

Coroner Releases Report on Cause of Nodar Kumaritashvili's Death in Agreement with Initial Statements by International Olympic Committee and Luge Federation Mon, October 4, 2010 | link 

Monday, September 27, 2010

With Improving Advertising Market, IOC to Open Negotiations for Sale of Television Rights in the US in 2011

As reported by the AP on YAHOO News:

Rogge says US TV Talks to Begin Soon

LONDON – The long-delayed negotiations on Olympic television rights in the United States should begin by early next year, IOC president Jacques Rogge said Friday.

Rogge told The Associated Press that the International Olympic Committee is now ready to move because of signs of improvement in the U.S. economic situation and advertising market.

Link to article


Mon, September 27, 2010 | link 

Monday, September 20, 2010

Report Published on Athlete Injuries during the Winter Olympic Games

In preparation for the first-ever Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012, athletes and parents may choose to gain more awareness of injuries and illnesses at Winter Games by reviewing a report published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine:

Sports Injuries and Illnesses during the Winter Olympic Games 2010

Findings:

"At least 11% of the athletes incurred an injury during the (2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics), and 7% of the athletes an illness."

"Head/cervical spine and knee were the most common injury locations. Injuries were evenly distributed between training (54.0%) and competition (46.0%)."

"Analyses of injury mechanisms in high-risk Olympic winter sports are essential to better direct injury-prevention strategies."


Mon, September 20, 2010 | link 

Monday, September 13, 2010

Bolivian Youth Olympic gold medallists were over-aged, it is claimed Mon, September 13, 2010 | link 

Monday, August 30, 2010

United States Olympic Committee News about the 2010 Youth Olympic Games

As reported at KansasCity.com:

...The inaugural Youth Olympic Games also came to a close last week after nearly two weeks of competition that featured the top youth athletes from across the globe.






Mon, August 30, 2010 | link 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Is Athlete Safety at the Olympic Games a Priority or a Joke?
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The television public saw Nodar Kumaritashvili's death. Within hours, the Olympic movement released statement that the accident was the fault of the dead athlete. 

A second athlete blamed for a near-fatal accident speaks out: Kimberly2004.com.

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Mon, August 23, 2010 | link 

Monday, August 16, 2010

Japan's Yuka Sato wins First Gold of Inaugural Youth Olympic Games

As reported on Sports.Inquirer.net:

Japan claims first gold of inaugural Youth Olympic Games

SINGAPORE—Japan's Yuka Sato wrote her name in the history books on Sunday by becoming the first gold medal winner of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games when she won the triathlon.

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Mon, August 16, 2010 | link 

Saturday, August 14, 2010

August 14, 2010 - The Youth Olympic Games Cycle Begins

JacquesRogge7.17.09.jpgHow will the realization of "Rogge's Dream" affect you, your family and the world around you -

2 years from now?
10 years from now?
25 years from now?



As reported by morethanthegames:

YOG 2010: Rogge admits he's as nervous as an expectant father

International Olympic Committee president Dr Jacques Rogge:

"I feel like a father waiting in the delivery room for the birth to happen, yes of course I am nervous.  I am optimistic but I still want to see the baby being born."

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Sat, August 14, 2010 | link 

Friday, August 13, 2010

London Paper Features Article on Opening of Inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

YOGlogo.jpg

Inaugural Youth Olympics realises Rogge dream

The Independent August 13, 2010

The inaugural Youth Olympic Games get under way in Singapore on Saturday, realising a long-held dream of International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge.

Link to article at The Independent

Fri, August 13, 2010 | link 

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Phelps and Bolt, Promoted by IOC as Ambassadors to YOG, Announce They will not Attend

In early 2010, the International Olympic Committee used press releases to announce "star-studded" list of Youth Olympic Games Ambassadors:

February 22, 2010 
Michael Phelps Becomes Youth Olympic Games Ambassador


April 27, 2010
IOC announces Yelena Isinbayeva as Youth Olympic Games Ambassador

July 1, 2010
Usain Bolt joins star-studded list of Youth Olympic Games Ambassadors


But in the weeks before start of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt used Facebook to announce that they will not be in Singapore for YOG:

July 28 at 10:29am Michael Phelps on Facebook
Post re YOG No-show:
The final countdown is on to the first Youth Olympic Games. Even though I can't make it in person because I'll be competing at U.S. Nationals and Pan Pacs (hopefully), I will definitely be there is spirit!...

09 August 10:25 Usain Bolt on Facebook
Post re Youth Olympic Games No-show:
The Youth Olympic Games are just a few weeks away. Summer is a busy time for all of us athletes and I will be in competition at the same time as Singapore 2010 so unfortunately I won’t be able to be there in person...



Thu, August 12, 2010 | link 

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sports Journalists' Blog Questioning the Necessity of the Youth Olympic Games Reappears

Too much too young? YOG tests the DNA of sport

Sports Journalists' Association (blog)
 - Philip Barker - ‎1 hour ago‎
The last time a British team went to Singapore on Olympic business was July 2005. The accent on youth was a key reason for the success of the 2012 bid...

Note: An hour after this blog was originally posted, it went missing from the Sports Journalists' Association website. When checked on Friday, August 13, the blog reappeared.

Wed, August 11, 2010 | link 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Jacques Rogge, President of International Olympic Committee, Releases Editorial to Newspaper in London

Faster, Higher, Stronger: Let the Youth Games Begin

The Globe and Mail August 9, 2010

startsing.jpgWhen the first Olympic Games of the modern era opened in Athens in 1896 with just 241 competitors and few spectators, its future was not as assured as hindsight would now suggest. Indeed, the Athens Games attracted athletes from only 14 nations, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, France and Britain. It took another 28 years before the Winter Games joined its older twin brother as a regular event. And now, in just a few days, we will see the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games, a worthy addition to the Olympic stable.

And just as the Olympics have continued to reflect changing attitudes to sport and society, so we will see some interesting innovations and events that have never appeared before on an Olympic program. There will be new formats such as street basketball, relay races in the pool and triathlon with mixed gender teams; there will even be competitions with mixed teams from different nationalities. All these are designed to appeal to a younger audience and inspire young athletes. But whatever the changes and experiments, what is at the centre of the Youth Olympic Games is the focus on young athletes. So why the very deliberate concentration on youth?

As organizers of the largest sporting event in the world, the International Olympic Committee understands that it has a responsibility to prepare young athletes for their future. Indeed, this was one of the pillars on which IOC founder Pierre de Coubertin built the modern Olympics.

Sport itself is a great educational tool for young people. It strengthens their bodies as well as their minds, teaches them discipline, and encourages them to set goals and achieve them. But it would be irresponsible for the sports world to take a laissez-faire approach to its young athletes by simply hoping that the act of taking part in sport will give them the abilities they require to face obstacles both on and off the field.

The Youth Olympics, which begin Saturday in Singapore, will be about staging high-level competition in 26 sports while providing guidance and encouragement to some 3,600 of the world’s best athletes between 14 and 18.

In addition to two weeks of first-class competition, the athletes will take part in a wide range of cultural and educational activities aimed at equipping them with the skills to make reasoned, intelligent decisions in life. The program will 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, 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 older peers, is crucial. The key is to present the information in a manner that the athletes find both enjoyable and relevant to their lives. At the end of the day, success rests on how much the athletes are willing to embrace the information they receive.

As such, we are reaching out in the most interactive ways possible. The Youth Olympics have a strong presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. We have created contests that challenge the online community to move away from their computer screens and get active. We have enlisted some of the world’s top athletes, including Usain Bolt, Yelena Isinbayeva and Michael Phelps, to act as role models.

Above all, the Youth Games and the cultural and educational activities must be fun. We want to encourage youngsters to strive to be the best they can but also to enjoy sport for sport’s sake and to continue enjoying it long after dreams of medals have faded. The Youth Olympics will give the athletes a chance to compete, to learn and to share experiences with other young people. It is our great hope that the athletes will act as ambassadors in their communities by sharing what they learn when they return home from Singapore.

If the Youth Olympics can help provide the world’s youth, one athlete at a time, with a path to better, brighter, healthier futures, we will have succeeded. And very soon, the Youth Games will become as much an indispensable fixture of the Olympic calendar as its grown-up brothers.

Jacques Rogge is president of the International Olympic Committee.

Link to article at The Globe and Mail


Tue, August 10, 2010 | link 

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