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Monday, January 5, 2009
Golf, baseball, karate, roller sports, rugby, softball and squash all seek to be added to the sports program of the 2014 Youth
Olympic Games
These sports seek to be added as the newest Olympic sport beginning with the 2014
Summer Youth Olympic Games. The IOC's determination of which of the seven sports will be added to the current roster
of 26 Olympic sports will take place during a meeting of the IOC to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in
early October 2009.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The International Olympic Committee's new Youth Olympic Games add up to a systemic increase in greenhouse gas emissions
Using established metrics that a roundtrip flight (over 7 hours long each way) for a
single person results in 2.1 pounds of CO2-equivalent emissions per passenger-mile, given analysis of the number
and geographic distribution of athletes, officials and spectators expected to participate in the Summer Youth Olympic Games,
just the airline travel (for the Summer Youth Olympic Games every 4 years) will result in an increase in CO2-equivalent
emissions of millions of tonnes.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Documenting the International Olympic Committee's rush to establish the 2010 and 2012 Youth Olympic Games
Relevant facts about the International Olympic Committee's rush to establish the inaugural
2010 and 2012 Youth Olympic Games in anticipation of the critical upcoming 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference:
- 7 years is the established timing from
date of IOC host-city selection to the actual event. As proof, in 2001 the IOC selected Beijing
to host the 2008 Olympic Games. In 2005 the IOC selected London to host the 2012 Games.
- In contrast,
in February 2008, Singapore was selected to host the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games. This timing
by the IOC gives Singapore just over 2 years to put on the first-ever Youth Olympic Games.
- Following this pattern,
in December 2008, Innsbruck was selected to host the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games. Innsbruck was viewed
as the IOC's least-risk choice given the short 3-4 year turn around time to get ready for 2012.
- In December 2009, in the fight against the climate crisis, countries across the world will meet
to commit to greenhouse gas reductions during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Rogge states that the purpose of the Youth Olympic Games is to fight youth obesity. If so, when will he announce his new
Youth Olympic Games via mainstream media?
 Research finds that many international Olympic sporting federations have announced the qualifying process for the 2010
Youth Olympic Games ("YOG") on their websites. While this method of disseminating the YOG qualifying
process reaches families already involved in Olympic sports, it does little to reach those families not already
involved in sports. Does IOC president Jacques Rogge understand that promoting the Youth Olympic
Games over international sporting federation websites does little to promote YOG to youth actually prone to obesity?
Monday, December 22, 2008
How do the Singapore Youth Olympic Games and the Innsbruck Youth Olympic Games fit with the European Parliment's commitment?
 The European Union is now committed to cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 20 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020.
For the fight against the climate crisis, countries across the world will need to make similiar commitments.
Commitment to GHG reductions is the purpose of the United Nations Climate Change Conference set for Copenhagen from
7 - 18 December 2009. Meanwhile, on a different agenda, for 2010, for the first Summer Youth Olympic
Games, Singapore will receive some 3,500 athletes and 800 officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs),
along with estimated 800 media representatives, 7,000 local and international volunteers, and more than 500,000 spectators.
Innsbruck will have fewer athletes for the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2012. How do the new 2010 Singapore
and 2012 Innsbruck Youth Olympic mega-events fit into the EU's commitment to cut GHG emissions 20 percent from 1990
levels? How can the IOC do this? What gives the IOC right to bring about an increase in emissions when the EU Parliment has
made legislation committing to reducing GHG emissions?
Friday, December 19, 2008
EU parliment approves "The world's most stringent climate change package"
 On December 18, the Financial Times reported that the EU parliment has approved "The world's most stringent
climate change package." The EU is now committed to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions 20 per cent from 1990
levels by 2020. Parliment's work was conducted in preparation for next December's meeting in Copenhagen
during which 190 countries will gather to forge agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Article:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5987d5e0-cca3-11dd-acbd-000077b07658.html
Monday, December 15, 2008
Websites are live for the Inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games and the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games
Mon, December 15, 2008 | link
Saturday, December 13, 2008
International Olympic Committee decides that Innsbruck, Austria will be host city for the Inaugural 2012 Winter Youth Olympic
Games
Sat, December 13, 2008 | link
Monday, December 8, 2008
On December 12, Kuopio, Finland or Innsbruck, Austria to be named 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games host
Meanwhile, in Poland this week, European Union (EU) member states work to reach agreement
on plans to reduce CO2 emissions across the EU in advance of 2009's global climate change conference in Denmark.
Ironically, December 12, the day this week's EU climate summit ends, is the same day the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) will announce which EU member, Austria or Finland, has been granted right by the IOC to spur an increase
of CO2 emissions across the globe by hosting the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Kuopio, Finland and Innsbruck, Austria support increasing CO2 emissions with the Youth Olympic Games
Kuopio, Finland has newly launched a website selling itself to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Kuopio's
bid to be chosen by the IOC as host city for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games. link: http://olympialaiset.entecore.fi/index.jsp?pid=175 Members of Kuopio's host city bid committee support increasing CO2 emissions
to host the 2012 Youth Olympic Games.
From the left:
Mrs Jaana VASANKARI, General Secretary
of the Bid Committee, Director of Sports and Recreation, City of Kuopio Mr Jukka TIRRI, Project Coordinator of the Bid
Committee, City of Kuopio Mr Arto AHOLA, Development Director, Finnish Olympic Committee Mr Jouko PURONTAKANEN,
General Secretary, Finnish Olympic Committee Mr André Noël CHAKER, Official Presenter of the Kuopio 2012
bid Mr Hannu TOLONEN, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Education Mr Petteri PARONEN, Mayor of the City of Kuopio Mr
Peter TALLBERG, member of the IOC Mr Roger TALERMO, President of the Finnish Olympic Committee
Monday, December 1, 2008
Scope of Olympic Games for teenagers murky to Canadian Olympic Committee
DONNA SPENCER  December 01, 2008 Not only will Canada not throw its hat into the ring
to host an Olympic Games for teenagers in 2014, the head of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) wants clarity on what the
Youth Olympic Games are about. "Nobody is sure what they are about," COC chief executive
officer Chris Rudge said Monday. "The IOC has not brought great definition to how the Games are going to be structured
and if they're going to be focused on a high level of competition, or cultural activity." The Youth Olympic
Games are a pet project of International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who wants to make sport more relevant
to the world's youth. Nine months ago, in February 2008, Singapore was chosen as site of the planned inaugural
2010 Summer Youth Olympics at a cost of US$75 million underwritten by the city-state's government. Full article: http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/sports/article/148824
Friday, November 28, 2008
In spring 2007, the EU Council announced a commitment to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020
 By increasing greenhouse gas emissions with the addition of the new Youth Olympic Games mega-event, the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) and YOG host cities are acting unreasonably and recklessly. The two European
cities shortlisted to host the 2012 Youth Olympic Games (Innsbruck, Austria and Kuopio, Finland), have compelling reason
to turn down the IOC for environmental concerns. These cities would be viewed as global heros in the fight
against climate change. They would not be the first host cities to say "no, thank you" to the IOC. The
city of Denver, Colorado USA was awarded the 1976 Olympics by the IOC, but voters rejected spending resources
on the Olympic Games due to environmental and financial concerns.
Monday, November 24, 2008
When will the International Olympic Committee announce the Youth Olympic Games to United States youth?
The United States public has been left without awareness of the International
Olympic Committee's (IOC) plan to fight youth obesity while teams from other countries make plans to send youth
to the IOC's first 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
As one example, the Australian Olympic Committee reports
that it will spend close to a million dollars towards sending 100 youth athletes to the first Youth Olympic Games
(YOG) staged by the IOC in Singapore in 2010. The introduction of YOG by the IOC has prompted the AOC to hold its Australian
Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) every four years instead of bi-annually. "Like the AYOF the YOG brings together the
best young athletes from around the globe. There is no need for us to compete with the YOG particularly as many of our
core sports are struggling to cope with so many events on the junior calendar” said former Australian Olympic Committee
chef de mission John Coates.
link: http://www.olympics.com.au/news.cfm?ArticleID=9834
Friday, November 21, 2008
Who will grab this international leadership opportunity to reduce carbon emissions?
The
time is right. A host city, an environmental organization, a youth group or a country can easily become a
global hero.
Just stand up and and announce: "Now is a negligent time for the International
Olympic Committee to launch a new global sporting event."
The Youth Olympic Games can be more reasonably
launched in global celebration once we resolve the risk of climate change.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Why is the International Olympic Committee rushing to launch the inaugrual Youth Olympic Games?
 In February 2008, the IOC annnounced Singapore as host city of the first-ever Summer (2010) Youth Olympic Games. This
means that Singapore has just a little over two years to prepare, although traditional Olympic Games host cities get
seven years to prepare. Why has the IOC given Singapore such a short time-frame to get the first-ever Youth Olympic Games
off the ground?
An inconvenient result from the Youth Olympic Games will be the addition of over ten thousand
international airline roundtrips every year. Does the International Olympic Committee have an unlimited right to
create unnecessary additional carbon emissions?
Now is not the time to launch the Youth Olympic Games. Once we resolve the risk of climate
change, the IOC's new mega-event can sensibly be launched in global celebration.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Climate for Change
By Al Gore
THE
NEW YORK TIMES
November 9, 2008
Brief: The inspiring and transformative choice by the American people to elect Barack Obama
as our 44th president lays the foundation for another fateful choice that he -- and we -- must make this January to begin
an emergency rescue of human civilization from the imminent and rapidly growing threat posed by the climate crisis. The world authority on the climate crisis,
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, after 20 years of detailed study and four unanimous reports, now says that
the evidence is "unequivocal." To those who are still tempted to dismiss the increasingly urgent alarms from scientists
around the world, ignore the melting of the north polar ice cap and all of the other apocalyptic warnings from the planet
itself, and who roll their eyes at the very mention of this existential threat to the future of the human species, please
wake up. Our children and grandchildren need you to hear and recognize the truth of our situation, before it is too late.
The United States should lead the way by putting a price on
carbon here at home, and by leading the world's efforts to replace the Kyoto treaty next year in Copenhagen with a more
effective treaty that caps global carbon dioxide emissions and encourages nations to invest together in efficient ways to
reduce global warming pollution quickly.
Of course,
the best way -- indeed the only way -- to secure a global agreement to safeguard our future is by re-establishing the United
States as the country with the moral and political authority to lead the world toward a solution.
Looking ahead, I have great hope that we will have the courage to embrace
the changes necessary to save our economy, our planet and ultimately ourselves.
This year similarly saw the rise of young Americans, whose enthusiasm electrified
Barack Obama's campaign. There is little doubt that this same group of energized youth will play an essential role in
this project to secure our national future, once again turning seemingly impossible goals into inspiring success.
Full
editorial: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/opinion/09gore.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Monday, November 10, 2008
Why do Austria and Finland get a pass on adding unnecessary CO2 emissions while humanity strives to reduce CO2 emissions?
The International Olympic Committee has decided that either a city in Austria or Finland will
be host city for the second installment of the IOC's new mega sporting event - the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games
- following the first 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
This means that aside from the current
Olympic Games, the IOC gives its blessing to additional CO2 emissions of up to 10,000 international roundtrips per year
for the new biannual Youth Olympic Games.
These additional CO2 emissions pose measureable risk
to youth that is unnecessary and dangerous until humanity has better understanding of the climate crisis.
Friday, October 31, 2008
China Asks Rich to Pay for Cleanup
 BEIJING, October 30 (WSJ) - China issued a major policy on climate change Wednesday, acknowledging its own growing contribution
to the problem and its increased vulnerability to a warming planet, but arguing that rich nations should pay poorer countries
for the giant costs of cleaning up.
The 44-page report comes ahead of an international conference
on climate change next month in Beijing, organized by the U.N. and the Chinese government to help promote the exchange of
green technologies. Even more crucial will be a meeting in December in Poland to start negotiations over what to do
after the U.N.-backed Kyoto Protocol on climate change expires in 2012.
link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122530768753281185.html
Monday, October 27, 2008
Polar bears dying out in Russian region: expert
 MOSCOW, October 24 (AFP) – Polar bears are dying out in the remote Arctic region of Chukotka
because of melting ice and increased killing by humans, an expert with the International Fund for
Animal Welfare warned on Friday.
"If this tendency continues, the population will disappear very quickly,
said Nikita Ovsyanikov, a researcher from Wrangel Island natural park in Chukotka who has
spent the past 18 years studying polar bears in the region. "We need to create new protected areas in the Arctic,"
said Ovsyanikov, who has conducted research on behalf of IFAW. The shrinking of the Arctic ice sheet is forcing more
bears to live on land in the summer where they often have trouble finding food, which means they have to go into villages
to scavenge and are more likely to be shot, he said. Polar bear furs are also becoming
increasingly popular in Russia, where the killing of polar bears is strictly forbidden except for self-defence. IFAW estimates
around 100 polar bears are killed illegally in Russia every year. There are a total of around 22,000 polar bears in
the Arctic. Five thousand of them live between Chukotka and the US state of Alaska and are being forced further and further
north because of the melting ice, IFAW said.
link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081024/sc_afp/russiaenvironmentclimatewarminganimal
Friday, October 24, 2008
Rogge to stand again as IOC President during election next year in Copenhagen
ATHENS, Oct 24 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President
Jacques Rogge informed his organisation's members on Friday he intended to stand for a second term in office, the IOC
said.
IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said the 66-year-old Rogge, first elected in 2001 for an eight-year
term, had sent a letter to all members saying he would run for a second term during the election to be held next year in Copenhagen,
Denmark.
No other IOC member has announced their intention to run for the position of president and Rogge is likely
to win unopposed.
IOC Vice President Lambis Nikolaou said there would not be another candidate. "When an
acting president is up for re-election there has never been anyone standing against him and this will be the case next year
as well," Nikolaou said.
The Beijing Olympic Games turned out to be a financial success for the IOC,
whose revenues are set to continue to grow into the next four-year period despite the global economic downturn. The IOC was
under constant criticism for awarding the Games to China given the country's human rights record. Rogge had defended the
IOC's decision saying the Games were a force for good.
Rogge, a Belgian, succeeded Juan Antonio
Samaranch as only the eighth IOC President since the organisation was founded in 1894, two years prior to the first modern
Games.
His second term, should he win, will only be for four years following changes to the duration
of the president's term since the time of Samaranch, who spent 21 years as IOC chief.
Rogge presided
over his first Games as IOC chief in Salt Lake City in 2002 and at his first summer Olympics in Athens four years ago. He
also presided over the Turin 2006 and Beijing 2008 Olympics. If he wins his second term he will be in charge for two more
Games -- the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and the London 2012 Summer Games. Rogge is also responsible for creating
the Youth Olympic Games, a tool aimed at attracting a new generation of future Olympians and a younger global audience. An orthopaedic surgeon by profession, Rogge has a 40-year involvement with the Olympics, as a sportsman, a national
Olympic team official and as an IOC member since 1991. He also competed in three editions of the Games as a yachtsman from
1968 to 1976. By Karolos Grohmannlink: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/7919288
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