Singapore is All Set for YOG!

SINGAPORE (GaeaTimes.com) — Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which has started today in Singapore, will surely serve as an inspiration to young generation, believes world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia).

This year the Youth Olympic Games will feature near about 3,600 athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. They will participate in more than 26 sports, cultural and educational programmes.

The idea for such an event was introduced by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge in 2001. On July 6, 2007, IOC members at the 119th IOC session in Guatemala City, approved the creation of a youth version of the Olympic Games. The summer version of YOG will last twelve days, with the first event taking place in August 2010. The winter version will last a maximum of nine days, with the first edition scheduled to take place in early 2012 at Innsburk.

According to IOC, some of the events from Olympics game might not be included in YOG. For example, water polo and synchronized swimming disciplines will not be present at the YOG. Moreover, the basketball competition maybe modified as the ‘streetball’, in which the games will be played outside and sometimes with fewer players. The cycling disciplines like mountain biking and BMX were left off the schedule.

The next summer YOG will be held in the city of Nanjing. For the time being, keep any eye on our sports section for more updates on this!