Youth Olympic Games – Athlete Happiness, New Media to Define Singapore Success
3/23/2010
The IOC president makes his second trip to Singapore since 2008. (Getty Images)
(ATR) IOC President Jacques Rogge tells Around the Rings that the happiness of the athletes and the use of New Media – not massive TV ratings – will determine the success of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in August.
“For me the most important thing is that the athletes are happy. If they are happy, we have fulfilled our duty,” says Rogge by telephone from Singapore. He is on a three-day visit to examine preparations for the inaugural YOG.
Reaching Young People with New Media
Rogge says while traditional media coverage is important for the YOG, but he expects new media will play a bigger role in bringing the event to a wider audience.
“Through community sites as I call them, like Facebook, we are able to spread the message beyond the 3,500 athletes. That is something we are definitely looking for,” he says.
Rogge says the IOC will try to promote the YOG among the 1.5 million people who signed up on Facebook last month as fans of Vancouver Olympic athletes.
“We are now reaching these people, trying to direct them to the Youth Olympic Games. If we can have a good result with this viral communication then we will have a good job.”
Rogge says he also wants Singapore organizers to make sure that the educational part of the YOG employs new media techniques and not classroom lectures.
“We are starting from scratch. There is no experience in the Olympic Movement of competitions that combines the athletic performance with the cultural and educational part that we believe is important.
“We have no issue with the content. We know what to say about the fight against doping, we know what to say about the healthy lifestyle, a good diet.
“It’s the way we transmit this to the young athletes. Because they want to hear this in the language they are used to, and that’s not the language you or I are using. They want it to be very interactive, we’ve worked hard on that. They want it to be mostly given by new media,” said the IOC leader.
Second Visit to Singapore
Rogge’s visit is his second to Singapore
The inaugural Youth Olympic Games take place from August 14 to 26. (Getty Images)
since the city-state was awarded the Games two years ago.
He says he has seen substantial progress since and has no concerns about preparations of the venues or Youth Olympic Village.
His visit is timed to coincide with the meeting of the chefs de mission from the 200+ national Olympic committees eligible to send delegations to Singapore.
In addition to venue tours, Rogge will meet with the prime minister of Singapore.
Running from August 14 to 26, the program for the 2010 YOG includes the 26 sports in the London Olympics. The 2014 event in Nanjing, China will include 28, with the addition of golf and rugby for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
Rogge has told his IOC colleagues, some of whom remain skeptical about the YOG that he expects them to come to Singapore if they can. He says from 60 to 80 IOC members, almost two-thirds of the membership, will go to Singapore.
“I think they need to experience the atmosphere in the Olympic Village,” where he says the most valuable part of the YOG will take place, not necessarily on the playing field.
Traditional Media Coverage
He says he expects the competition to be on the level of junior world championships, events which usually don’t draw much attention from the media.
Rogge checks out Bishan Stadium. (Getty Images)
As a result, how the traditional media covers the Singapore YOG “is a bit of a question mark”, says Rogge.
But he says he is “heartened” by seeing the list of 20 countries, including the U.S., which will present rights holding coverage of the YOG. Olympic Broadcasting Services, the IOC’s host broadcast company, will produce daily highlights.
“It’s far bigger than I first imagined,” he says, adding that Fox in Asia will provide live coverage of the YOG.
He says about 1,000 accredited press are anticipated.
“That’s good for the first edition,” he says.
“We think the coverage will increase in time. This is something that has to grow.”
Written by Ed Hula.
From “Around the Ring”
