IOC Approves First Olympic Youth Games (YOG) Sports Competitions

IOC Approves First Olympic Youth Games (YOG) Sports Competitions

source: Singapore 2010 YOG

It was announced 10 December 2008 on the Singapore2010.sg website that the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the sports competitions programme and the qualification system for the first Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

Some features about the first Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) sports competitions and qualification system can be observed from the media release which has been summarized in Singapore Youth Olympic Games blog.

Features of the First Summer YOG Sports Competitions Programme and Qualification System:

3597 atheletes are expected to gather in Singapore to compete in 26 sports comprising 201 events.

The number of sports in the YOG is exactly the same as the London Olympic Games 2012 programme.

Each event will have its own age group for competitions: 15-16 years old (27 events), 16-17 (111 events) or 17-18 (63 events). The cut-off age is the age of the athlete on 31 December in the year of the YOG (i.e. 2010).

Events differ significantly in order to match age groups and interests of the young atheletes.

Mixed-gender or National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be a particularity of the YOG. What this means is that many team events will require the boys and girls from each country's National Olympic Committee to compete as a team.

Such mixed-gender team events include archery, athletics (medley relay). Cycling (combined BMX-mountain bike-road event), equestrian, fencing, judo, modern pentathlon (relay), swimming (relay), table tennis, tennis and triathlon (relay).

Another key feature of the YOG is ensuring the universality of the YOG. In individual sports, a specific number of places for NOCs will be reserved to ensure at least four athletes per NOC can participate (Universality Places).

Qualification system for each sport and discipline was prepared in close collaboration with the respective International Federations (IF).

Four team sport tournaments (football, handball, hockey and volleyball) will consist of one national team per continent as well as a sixth team (chosen from the NOC of host country or proposed by IFs with IOC approval). Each NOC can only have one boys' and one girls' team.

NOC delegation may include a maximum of 70 athletes in individual sports, irrespective of number of athletes qualified.

There will be a Cultural and Educational Programme (CEP) for YOG participants that aims to raise awareness on important issues like a healthy lifestyle, the fight against doping and their role as sports ambassadors in their communities.