What is YOG?
Initiated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are an international multi-sport, cultural and educational event, held for young people, by young people.
Following the traditional cycle of four years, the Summer YOG will be held in 2010, 2014, 2018, etc, and the Winter YOG in 2012, 2016, 2020, etc. The YOG will add a new dimension to the Olympic Movement, complementing what is already being achieved through the Olympic Games and the numerous IOC projects that promote the Olympic values.
The YOG will bring together talented athletes from around the world to participate in high-level competitions and lead them on their way to becoming true champions. Along the way, this event will promote sport to young people around the world, with new sporting initiatives growing form this movement. The YOG also include educational and cultural interactive activities. They offer a platform to tackle societal issues of high importance for young people and society in general through workshops and forums. These issues will be addressed through the following five themes:
- Olympism and Olympic values
- skills development
- well-being and healthy lifestyle
- social responsibility
- expression through digital media
By Young People for Young People
Refreshing the Olympic Movement with all that is young, the YOG is a celebration of sport; it's as concerned with the pleasure of taking part and of what we can learn from it than the competition itself. It's a chance for young people from different cultures, from 205 countries around the world, to participate in sports, to make new friends and to share ideas. It's about sporting achievement and so much more.