Act with humanity. Question the Youth Olympic Games.

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The inaugural Youth Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in Singapore August 14-26, 2010. The Internatioal Olympic Committee (IOC) wants athletes - 14 to 18 years old - to compete in the same sports as athletes at the current "Professional" Olympic Games.

The 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be made up of over 3,600 athletes and 800 officials from 205 countries along with over 800 media representatives and an expected 500,000 spectators. The 2010 Summer YOG will be followed by 2012 Winter YOG, Summer 2014, Winter 2016 and so on, in alternate years to the Professional Olympic Games.

Wait a minute, not so fast.   The IOC and Olympic broadcasters seek to sell the youth demographic to sponsors and advertisers. The creation of the Youth Olympic Games simply gives the IOC and broadcasters a youth product to sell. Is anyone concerned about the young lives affected by production of this Olympic "show"?  

 

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Friday, February 27, 2009

Conservative Measures are the Bridge to New Technologies

anxbear.jpgSo please tell me, what is the reason the International Olympic Committee is launching the new Youth Olympic Games now, during the recognized Climate Change crisis?

Why can't they simply hold off for a while?
Fri, February 27, 2009 | link 

Monday, February 23, 2009

Swimming: Why does the IOC inform only parents of elite athletic youth about the chance to train for next summer's Youth Olympic Games?

Here is a December 2008 memorandum distributed by FINA (international swimming federation)  to members about qualifying procedure for next summer's Youth Olympic Games:

swimming.jpg







M E M O R A N D U M

TO: ALL FINA MEMBER FEDERATIONS

FROM: FINA, Lausanne

DATE: 2 December 2008

RE: 1
st YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES – SINGAPORE 2010

QUALIFYING PROCEDURE FOR SWIMMING

________________________________________________

Dear Sirs,

We have the pleasure to forward you this correspondence relating to

the
Qualification Procedure for SWIMMING for the 1st Youth Olympic Games – Singapore 2010.  
The swimming qualifying time standards must be achieved at any

of the competitions specified below during the qualification period of

1st March 2009 until 31 March 2010.
13th FINA World Championships – Rome 2009

National Championships *

International Events *

Regional Events *

Continental Championships *

* Note: to be approved in advance by FINA

Only swimming qualifying times achieved at competitions

approved by FINA can be accepted as entry.

website link: www.fina.org  www.usaswimming.org

Mon, February 23, 2009 | link 

Friday, February 20, 2009

Equestrian Events: Why does the IOC inform only parents of elite athletic youth about the chance to train for next summer's Youth Olympic Games?

Here is an article from the website of Federation Equestre Internationale about the sport of showjumping for youth equestrians in next summer's Youth Olympic Games:

jumpingfei.jpgQualification System for Youth Olympic Games Approved
16/12/2008 FEI

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the sports competitions programme for the first Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) to be held in Singapore in 2010, as well as the qualification system for each event.

Showjumping, the sole discipline representing equestrian sport, will see a total of 30 riders between 17 and 18 years of age competing on borrowed horses at the Singapore Turf Club.

To be eligible for the YOG, riders must be born between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1993.Certificate of Capability to be obtained either through the Junior/ Young Rider Continental Championship or the FEI Challenge Category A. Riders allocated Universality places must also have Certificates of Capability. Deadline date for obtaining a Certificate of Capability: May 2010.

We welcome any questions you might have, which may be sent to yog@fei.org. Based on these queries and questions we will compile a Frequently Asked Questions section which will be made available on the FEI website in mid-January 2009.

The 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games will see some 3,594 young athletes compete in the 26 sports represented at the 2012 Olympic Games. The event, tailor-made to young people, aims to balance sport, education and culture over 12 days of competition, workshops and social interaction. The YOG will provide an opportunity to not only bring together the world’s best young athletes but will present a superb introduction to the Olympic Games and their values. With the emphasis very strongly on the sharing of cultural experiences in a sporting environment, the YOG are an excellent platform for discovering new cultures and making new friendships.

Website:
www.fei.org

Fri, February 20, 2009 | link 

Monday, February 16, 2009

Triathlon: Why does the IOC inform only parents of elite athletic youth about the chance to train for next summer's Youth Olympic Games?

USAT.jpgHere is an article from the website of USA Triathlon (US Triathlon National Governing Body) about the selection process in that sport for next summer's Youth Olympic Games:


Triathlon Format Finalized for 2010 Youth Olympic Games

ITU - USA Triathlon February 09, 2009  

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has announced the program and qualification system for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) following approval from the IOC Executive Board. 
 

One of 26 sports to be showcased in the inaugural event in Singapore next year, the triathlon competition will feature 64 of the world's most promising juniors. Athletes will qualify for the Youth Olympic Games through one of five continental qualifiers which will be staged between May 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010. USA Triathlon is awaiting word from the ITU on the exact date and location of the qualification even for the Americas.  

Members of the USAT Sport Performance staff will be able to see potential sites for the Olympic race when they travel to Singapore for the ITU World Championship Series event there in May.
 

Youth Olympic Games - Triathlon Competition Fast Facts
 

Events: men's individual sprint distance, women's individual sprint distance, mixed team relay (continental teams) Maximum quota: 32 men, 32 women 

Age eligibility: 17-18 years old at time of competition (born between January 1, 1992 and December 31, 1993) 

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the national governing body for triathlon - the fastest growing sport in the U.S. - as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 2,500 races and connects with more than 115,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world.

In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games, and the Olympic Games.

Link to article: http://usatriathlon.org/news/article/9573
Mon, February 16, 2009 | link 

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Sport of Sailing: Why does the IOC inform only parents of elite athletic youth about the chance to train for next summer's Youth Olympic Games?

Ussailing.jpgThe International Olympic Committee has already announced the selection process of the Youth Olympic Games to kids. But wait - how many kids in your neighborhood know about it? Whenever I ask around, no one even knows about the upcoming Youth Olympic Games - neither kids, who would be training - or everyday parents. 

But be sure that the International Olympic Committee has already made sure that athletic youth are already training to compete in next summer's Youth Olympic Games.

Kids of parents who are involved in the Olympics already, or who are involved Olympic sports are being told about it by their parents. Their parents have learned about the Youth Olympic Games selection process through newsletters from sporting federations. So, if you are not involved in a sporting federation already, how much of a chance is there that your kid will know about the chance to train to be in the Youth Olympic Games or how to get there? Not much. Not fair play. And the IOC sells consumers the idea that the Olympic Games are about fair play.

Here is a recent example of a sporting newsletter informing people already involved in sailing about the selection process for next summer's Youth Olympic Games:

--- On Wed, 2/4/09, editor@scuttlebutteurope.com <editor@scuttlebutteurope.com> wrote:
From: editor@scuttlebutteurope.com <editor@scuttlebutteurope.com>
Subject: Scuttlebutt Europe #1733 - 5 February
To: kbirkenfeld@yahoo.com
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 10:30 PM

 
SEheader.gif







2010 Youth Olympic Games

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has published the qualification system and qualifying events for the sailing competition at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

The inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be held in Singapore in August 2010 and feature 100 young sailors competing across four sailing events.
Boys Windsurfer - Techno 293
Boys 1 Person Dinghy - Byte CII
Girls Windsurfer - Techno 293
Girls 1 Person Dinghy - Byte CII

The sailing events at Singapore are open to 15-16 year old, so in order to be eligible to compete at the YOG, an athlete must have been born between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1995.

For each of the four sailing events, there are seven Youth Olympic Qualification Events (YOQE). Competitors qualify their National Olympic Committee (NOC) at a YOQE, and the NOC will then select its competitor for that event. In order to make the YOG as accessible to as many nations as possible, there is a maximum of one male and one female athlete per NOC for all events. In addition, the host nation automatically qualifies one male and one female and 14 of the 100 places are reserved as NOC Universality Places to be assigned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The seven YOQE for each event are made up of six Continental Qualification Events and a final World Championship or world qualification event. At the Continental Qualification Events only nations within that continent will be eligible for YOG Qualification. The final qualification events will be confirmed and posted on the ISAF website www.sailing.org in February 2009.

Details on the quotas for the maximum number of competitors who can qualify at the World Championship and Continental Qualification Events are available on the ISAF Youth Olympic Games microsite at www.sailing.org/yog. The qualification events for the sailing events at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games are also available to view at www.sailing.org/yog.

Fri, February 13, 2009 | link 

Friday, February 6, 2009

To be fair, wouldn't you announce the Youth Olympic Games opportunity to all youth, not just a select few?

In the summer of 2007, when I first learned about IOC President Rogge's idea to start up a second set of Olympic Games for youth, it seemed like a good thing.

Until I thought about it.

Then, I realized that the IOC has failed to announce the Youth Olympic Games in mass media. Only a select few elites are being notified of the opportunity to train for the approaching 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

This fact flies in the face of the IOC's stated purpose of establishing a second set of Olympic Games for youth - to reduce youth obesity and to teach youth about fair play. 

This contradiction leaves realization that IOC President Rogge's reason for establishing the Youth Olympic Games is to get more youth watching the Games on TV.  The youth demographic is valuable as it brings in more advertising dollars. 

The select announcement of the Youth Olympic Games shows the primary purpose of the Youth Olympic Games is to increase Olympic revenues rather than stated purpose "to reduce youth obesity."
Fri, February 6, 2009 | link 

Monday, February 2, 2009

IOC President Rogge states that the Youth Olympic Games will help educate youth about Olympic values

But what does the Olympic brand stand for these days, anyway? Certainly not what is used to stand for . . .




Mon, February 2, 2009 | link 


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