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.
Auckland, New Zealand Chosen as Youth Olympic Games Flame Host
As reported on stuff.co.nz:
Auckland has been named as one of five cities to host the Youth Olympics flame
as makes its way from Greece to Singapore for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in August.
The other city representatives
are Berlin, Germany, for Europe, Dakar, Senegal, for Africa, Mexico City, Mexico, for the Americas and Seoul, Korea, for Asia.
Website Reports International Olympic Committee Threatens Sanctions if Philippine Government Regulates the Philippine Olympic
Committee
As reported on GMANEWS.TV:
IOC rep sees no gov’t intervention in RP yet
International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Francisco Elizalde noted that so far, there has not been
any intervention on the part of the government in the affairs of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) that could merit sanctions.
According to Elizalde, there had been attempts even in the past by government agencies (Philippine Sports Commission
at this present time) to mingle with the autonomy of both the POC and national sports associations (NSAs) but these cannot
be considered as “direct intervention."
But he maintained that these attempts have, in more ways, adversely
affected the growth of sports here and brought embarrassment to the country, especially its participation in international
competitions.
Elizalde cited what happened in last year’s 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos where the Philippines
was virtually represented by two delegations – one sanctioned by the PSC and the other by the POC, a situation he described
as “ridiculous."
No, we’re far from being sanctioned or, worse, suspended (by the IOC). But definitely,
they’re watching us. What is ironic here is that it will not be the PSC that will feel the brunt of the IOC ire but
the POC if ever there will be penalty.
–
Frank Elizalde, IOC representative
“That was ridiculous to
say the least. But such was not an extreme situation where the IOC can step in and involve itself by issuing sanction like
suspension as in the case of Kuwait," Elizalde said during the SCOOP sa Kamayan, referring to the oil-rich country in
the Middle East that was suspended indefinitely by the IOC for violation of its charter on government intervention.
Warning
Elizalde warned that the current situation here has already reached the IOC headquarters
in Lausanne, Switzerland based on the reactions he has been getting from fellow IOC members who warned him about the situation
“turning into worse" that may force the IOC to intervene and issue sanction against the country.
“No,
we’re far from being sanctioned or, worse, suspended. But definitely, they’re watching us. What is ironic here
is that it will not be the PSC that will feel the brunt of the IOC ire but the POC if ever there will be penalty," he
said.
The problem in the country, he assessed, involves personality and political affiliation of the sports leaders.
“While the PSC chairman (former Manila Congressman Harry Angping) belongs to the administration, the POC
president (Jose “Peping" Cojuangco) is with the opposition. This is the reason why there is lack of mutual respect
for each other," " he said.
“The relationship between the Olympic Movement, public bodies and
governments, as well as those between all national organizations belonging to the Olympic Movement and their respective governments,
should be based on the principle of respect and cooperation," Elizalde stressed.
The IOC official said this
is what’s lacking in the Philippines. “The PSC is ignoring the POC’s existence as it goes into the extent
of setting up a parallel body. The POC, on the other hand, is working hard to have the chairman of the PSC removed from his
position. Everything depends on the leaders’ human nature," he lamented.
Elizalde cited another reason
why the present situation is hard to solve even in the near future. “How can you solve the problem when everybody is
going to court suing each other? he asked.
Elizalde warned though that the present situation can turn to worse,
if for instance, a threat from the PSC to dismantle the national training pools without consulting the NSAs concerned materializes.
“If that happens, that will constitute government intervention for it encroaches on the prerogatives of
the NSAs to form their respective teams, a responsibility that does not belong to the PSC," he warned. “A clear
violation of the IOC rules." – GMANews.TV
USA Today Reports on the International Olympic Committee Sales of TV Broadcast Rights to the Youth Olympic Games
TV broadcast rights to Chile for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, the 2012 Summer Youth Olympic Games, the 2010
Winter Olympic Games and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games were recently awarded by the International Olympic Committee.
Welcome to the first environmental
column by Jessica Bin! Jessica worked as an intern in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) in the
Environment department under the Corporate Planning Division. She was a resident "eco-warrior" and would send regular
environmental columns to the whole of SYOGOC reminding us just how ignorant we are of environmental conservation.
Here
are 10 shocking facts that should jolt you out of that "I-don't-really-care-about-the-world" attitude. What would
be more shocking than these facts? If you don't find these facts shocking at all!
1. About 1 000 000 000 000 (1 trillion!)
plastic bags are used worldwide every year.
2. 1 short ton (900 kilograms, 2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save
17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. (if
you want to use the metric system… 1000 kg of recycle paper can save 19 trees, 1440 litres of oil, 2.3 cubic metres
of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy and 26500 litres of water)
3. Recycling 1 aluminum can saves enough energy
to run your TV for 3 hours.
4. A person in a developed country taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the
typical person living in a developing country slum uses in a whole day.
5. Every second, a football field-sized chunk
of the rainforest is mowed down. That's 86,400 football fields of rainforest per day, or over 31 million football fields of
rainforest each year.
6. By 2050, rising temperatures could make more than 1 000 000 of Earth's land-dwelling plants
and animals extinct.
7. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 11 of the 12 years from 1995-2006
rank among the 12 warmest years since the 1850s.
8. Since 1750, atmospheric concentrations of CO2, CH4 and N2O
have increased by about 36 percent, 148 percent and 18 percent respectively. These increases are primarily due to human activity.
9. A person flying from London’s Heathrow Airport to Singapore’s Changi Airport will cause about 1.2 tonnes
of carbon dioxide to be emitted. Check how much carbon dioxide your flight emits.
10. In 2007, the global average for
energy use per capita was equivalent to 1793 kilograms of oil!
Web Courseworks and Clark Aldrich Chosen to Develop World Anti-Doping Agency’s Play True Generation Game
Madison, WI, January 13, 2010 – The World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) selected the Web Courseworks (WCW) team and simulation designer Clark Aldrich to design and develop a computer-based
game for young athletes to learn about anti-doping. Following an open bid for tenders, WADA awarded WCW the development project.
Web Courseworks, national eLearning development firm, and Clark Aldrich, renowned simulation designer and author, entered
into a partnership to design and produce the learning game for WADA.
The game will be a combination of engaging
fast-paced casual gaming with "choose your own adventure" scenarios, and youth-oriented realism. The objective is
to encourage young athletes to learn about risks associated with doping, while offering enough intrinsic motivation to interest
them in repeated plays of the game. The game will be developed as part of WADA's Play True Generation program http://www.wada-ama.org/en/Education-Awareness/Play-True-Generation/) for multi-sport events as well as a freely-accessible game on WADA's website.
The game will recreate the challenges
and pressures facing young athletes both in- and out-of-competition with two sides to the simulation: a sports game and a
life-based adventure game. The competition, or "sport side," of the game is a fun action sequence in which the player
controls his or her avatar in a sporting event.
After competing in the sports game, the player moves to the "life
side" of the game: a series of conversations and puzzles designed to create different plots and endings over multiple
plays. The player can then make a series of choices to experiment with or act against doping. Through these choices, the player
learns about doping, health consequences, doping control, athlete rights and responsibilities, and the ethical rationale for
competing free from doping.
The game will be launched at WADA's Play True Generation Center during the first Youth
Olympic Games (YOG) to be held in Singapore in August 2010.
WADA is the international independent organization
responsible for promoting, coordinating and monitoring the fight against doping in sport in all its forms. The Agency's headquarters
are based in Montreal, Canada (www.wada-ama.org).
Online news from the Visayan Daily Star, January 9, 2010:
RP Athletes Need Private Backers
The Philippine Olympic Committee will continue to look
for private sponsors to finance the country’s preparation for the first ever World Youth Olympic Games slated in December
in Singapore.
POC deputy secretary general and swimming president Mark Joseph told sportswriters
at the weekly SCOOP sa Kamayan sports session that the POC has started talking with private individuals and companies that
can finance the training of the young Filipino athletes who will qualify in the Youth Olympic Games.
Joseph said that
while the government is there to help, POC still have to raise money to avoid what has happened during the Laos Southeast
Asian Games in Laos.
The POC official is referring to the confusion experienced by the athletes when the Philippine
Sports Commission funded only 152 of the 232 athletes in Laos biennial meet based on the gold-silver criteria of the 2007
SEA Games.
Although the POC was able to finance the participation of the remaining athletes, the group does not want
the same thing to happen again in the country’s next big international competition. Meanwhile, Joseph said among
the sports that have a good chance to send qualified athletes in the World Youth Olympic Games are swimming, shooting, archery,
lawn tennis and 3-on-3 basketball team.
IOC Releases Report Evaluating Three Cities Bidding for 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games: Nanjing, China, Guadalajara, Mexico,
and Poznan, Poland.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Chinese city of Nanjing presents
the least risk of the three candidates bidding for the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games, the IOC said Friday.
International Table Tennis Federation Names 20 Athletes Already Qualified for the First Youth Olympic Games
Article from website of International Table Tennis Federation (ittf.com):
Photo
By: Rémy Gros
Yana Noskova in action at
the Volkswagen World Junior Championships has a place in Singapore
1/3/2010
Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
A total of 20 players have now qualified to compete in the
first ever Youth Olympic Games that will be staged in Singapore from Saturday 21st to Thursday 26th August 2010.
Following the publication of the 2009 end of year Under 15 Boys’ and Under 15 Girls’ Rankings by the International
Table Tennis Federation the following players have gained a place in Singapore.
Boys: Hung
Tzu-Hsiang (Chinese Taipei), Kim Dong Hyun (Korea)and Chiu Chung Hei (Hong Kong).
Girls: Gu Yuting
(China), Petrissa Solja (Germany), Yana Noskova (Russia) and Isabelle Siyun Li (Singapore).
Criteria The top four players on the Under 15 Rankings on 31st December 2009 qualify unless they had already qualified by other means
and on the provisos that they were born in 1994 or 1995 and only one player per National Olympic Committee is eligible.
In all situations regarding the players who have qualified, National Olympic Committee equates to country.
Already Booked Places Already qualified as a result of gaining a semi-final
place in the Boys’ and Girls’ Singles events at the ITTF Cadet Challenge in 2009 were as follows:
Boys:
Yin Hang (China), Koki Niwa (Japan), Simon Gauzy (France), Hampus Soderlund (Sweden)
Girls: Yang
Ha Eun (Korea), Ayuka Tanioka (Japan), Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand)
African
Qualification Meanwhile, by virtue of the African Qualification Tournament in 2009, four players had
already qualified.
Boys: Omar Bedair (Egypt), Ojo Onaolapo (Nigeria).
Girls:
Dina Meshref (Egypt), Islem Laid (Algeria).
Philippine Youth Olympic Games Athletes get Training in Australia
Article from gmanews.tv:
1/2/2010:
Hoping to make a huge splash in the 1st Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore this year, five Philippine junior swimmers
are currently training at Australia’s world-renowned New South Wales Institute of Sports (NSWIS).
The Philippine
Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) earned Australia’s support to train Jessie Lacuna, Jasmine Alkhaldi, Dorothy Hong,
Banjo Borja and Jose Gonzales – who all qualified for the Aug. 14 to 26 Youth Olympics – for 10 weeks in Sydney.
Banjo Borja and Jasmine Alkhaldi
The NSWIS is the same training center where former five-time Olympic champion Ian "The Torpedo" Thorpe honed his
skills under head coach Jim Fowlie’s watchful eyes. Fowlie will also supervise the training of the five Filipino tankers.
All five hurdled the respective qualifying times to earn YOG slots and also saw action in the 25th Laos SEA Games
where they were exposed to the level of play in regional competitions.
"They did not win any medals but they
showed their heart by competing against the best tankers in Southeast Asia. That experience will help them a lot," said
PASA president Mark Joseph.
The almost three-month long NSWIS training stint will boost the junior swimmers’
confidence where they hope to have a strong showing in the first ever Olympics for youth athletes.
"At NSWIS,
the home pool of swimming champion Ian Thorpe, they will be coached by a top Australian coach (Jim Fowlie) supported by an
elite team of sports scientist," said Joseph.
National coach Carlos Brosas joined
the Pinoy tankers in Australia as he will be attending clinics to further boost his knowledge with the latest techniques which
he will use in running PASA’s Center for Excellence in Los Banos, Laguna.
Brosas and the Pinoy junior tankers
left for Australia last Thursday, Dec. 31.
The training stint was made possible thru the support of the Australian
Embassy, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Sydney’s Filipino community.
No, we’re far from being sanctioned or, worse, suspended (by the IOC). But definitely,
they’re watching us. What is ironic here is that it will not be the PSC that will feel the brunt of the IOC ire but
the POC if ever there will be penalty. 
