INTRODUCTION

The YOG or the Olympic Games for Teenagers were the brainchild of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Jacques Rogge. It was a special project that he had been working on since taking over the IOC presidency in 2001. The games are intended to complement the Olympic Games by promoting cross-cultural interaction, understanding and learning among young athletes. Excellence, Friendship and Respect were the three Olympic values adopted for the inaugural YOG 2010. The Culture and Education Programme (CEP) is an integral part of YOG which aims to educate and engage athletes by helping them to embrace, embody and express the three Olympic values. Like the Olympic Games, the summer and the winter versions of the YOG will be held every four years and the same 26 sports in the current summer Olympic Games will be featured in the YOG.

On 21 February 2008, the IOC announced that Singapore had won 53 votes over Moscow’s 44 votes to become the host city for the first YOG. Singapore impressed with its creative Games model presentation with a compact games venue plan and a comprehensive Culture and Education Programme (CEP), coupled with its exceptional sports facilities especially tailored to the requirements of the Games as well as its excellent reputation for being an efficient and effective major league sports event organiser.