IOC To Initiate Youth Olympic Games 

On July 5, 2007 the International Olympic Committee approved by a show of hands to hold the "Youth Olympic Games" with athletes ages 14 to 18 competing. In doing so, the IOC is committing millions of dollars and its reputation to create what it terms a "historic project".

This project is a follow up to the the European Olympic Festival, which Rogge established in 1991 when he was head of the European Olympic Committees. The European event, held every other year, has summer and winter versions.

Former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch termed the concept "a very important step of the Olympic movement, maybe the most important step of the last years."

The Youth Olympic Games are intended to combine sports and education concerning the "Olympic values" of friendship, respect and sportsmanship. Young people

The initial Summer Games would take place in 2010 and include 3,200 athletes, and the first Winter games in 2012 including 1,000 athletes. Like the Olympics, the Youth Games would operate in 4 year cycles.

The program is the first major global sports festival created by the International Olympic Committee since the advent of the Winter Games in 1924.

IOC president Jacques Rogge said the games would inspire young people around the world to take up sports.

Sports tentatively would be limited to current Olympic sports, but the IOC noted it may "integrate youth-driven disciplines that are not part of the Olympic Games (and) may be accepted."

To hold down costs, Rogge insisted the IOC would not allow any new infrastructure to be built for the event. Rogge said the IOC could afford the cost, which he estimated at $30 million for the summer event and $15-20 million for winter.

IOC executive director Gilbert Felli said each country would send at least four athletes.

Samaranch was hopeful that the Youth Games may prompt governments to pay more attention to sports, and to take a new or renewed look at funding sports programs going forward.

IOC members felt the Games would be worth the risk to combat the problem the Rogge defined as "Today we observe a widespread decline in physical activity and an increase in obesity" among the young, the reduction of physical activities in schools and the the computer culture.

"Multimedia, with its elaborate graphics ... is sometimes more appealing than sport."