POSTED: August 25th 2010
NewsUpdate
Nanjing organisers insist YOG will be even bigger and even better in 2014
NIKKI WICKS in Singapore / Sports Features Communications
SINGAPORE, Aug 25: With just one day to go before the inaugural Youth Olympic Games concludes in Singapore, the Nanjing organising committee unveiled its plans to deliver a larger scale YOG in 2014.
On the same day that IOC president Jacques Rogge declared that he wanted to expand future editions, Nanjing officials promised they would deliver a "thrifty and effective" YOG, building on the foundations laid in Singapore.
Ding Ming, director of the culture and education department for the Nanjing YOG, said that 95 per cent of residents supported the Games. His update on preparations hinted that the second YOG would be an even bigger event, utilising 15 sports venues and recruiting more than double the volunteers used in Singapore.
He said: "We will recruit 30,000 Chinese and international volunteers. In addition to these YOG volunteers, there will be another 10,000 locals at volunteers' service booths to help those in need of information, language and other forms of assistance.
"No new venues need to be build for the 2014 YOG. In fact, most of the venues have been used for large-scale national and international sports events such as the 10th National Games of China in 2005."
Between 70 and 80 members of the Nanjing organising committee have been in Singapore to study operations at the first ever YOG, and Ming said that they "were making full use of the learning opportunity."
Athletes' feedback
On the eve of the closing ceremony Rogge, who visits Nanjing in two days time, sat with 205 athletes nominated to represent their NOCs to gather feedback and discuss general feelings about the inaugural event in Singapore.
Rogge told them: "The YOG was a great success and you made it that way by participating in your sports at such a high level. We want to foster all these ideas for the next YOG. Every four years it will go to another city and they will improve the quality of the event.
"I am very optimistic about the future. By the next Youth Olympic Games, there will be far more media attention. Here in Singapore, we had 1,100 journalists and 166 broadcasters. We will endeavour to help publicise this event and make it even bigger.
"This is only the very first event. Here you are gaining tremendous preparation for the next Olympic Games, maybe not for London but some of you will make it to Rio in 2016. Take what you have learned from Singapore and take it to London and Rio."
Perhaps the most emphasised element at the inaugural YOG has been the Culture and Education Programme to promote Olympic Values to young athletes; it has been suggested that the full Olympic Games would welcome a similar programme in the future.
Rogge conceded that corporate sporting groups had been concerned initially that the CEP would not be well received because athletes would be more focused on competition but said he was happy his brainchild had proved a winner.
He added: "They thought it might not be useful or work well with the athletes but now I don't have to prove it to them any more."
The closing ceremony in Singapore will see Rogge will hand over the Olympic Flag to Ji Jianye, Mayor of Nanjing.
Keywords · Youth Olympics · YOG · Nanjing 2014 · Rogge
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