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Next August Singapore will host the First Youth Olympic Games. The young athletes – aged between 14 and 18 years - from all over the world will compete in 26 Olympic sports.
The «newborn» youth Olympiad – the next IOC initiative – is aimed at popularization of sport among young people and called for solving the problem of the young generation's poor health.
It is pleasant that the Ukrainian was entrusted with coordination of preparation for this important sports forum – the IOC elected the IOC Member, the NOC of Ukraine President, the Olympic champion Sergey Bubka as a chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the First Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Undoubtedly, the new event needs considerable preparation endeavours – the Singapore Organizing Committee is busy with preparation process for the Games; the IOC, for its part, is working hard at introduction of the cultural and educational programs which will be an integral component of the Games; the International Federations have approved the competition program and qualification system.
Ukraine doesn’t keep apart from it as well; a preparation plan for the event has been already developed, the working group established by both the NOC and the Ministry of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sports is working hard at preparation process, various propaganda projects are being implemented, the young Ukrainian athletes are competing at the international competitions to achieve qualification to participate in the Youth Olympiad. Moreover, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine is given the high honour of acting as so called «pilot project» in implementation of the IOC various cultural and educational initiatives and programs. For the present the Ukrainians participated in the training camp for young reporters held in the capital of the future Games, taking part in the program for the young ambassadors and are going to participate in the Singapore 2010 Friendship Camp.
Of course, it is not an easy thing to treat the world sports forum with full responsibility. But the youth sports competitions are by no means a surprise to our country. The government also pays an appropriate attention to the youth sport and this year for the fifth time the Ministry of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sports holds the summer Youth Sports Games of Ukraine. Over 4 700 athletes from all 27 regions of the country from February till September compete in 26 Olympic and 10 team sports. It should be noted, that the different sports competitions are held in different regions, e.g., judo competitions held in Volyn region assembled more than 500 participants; Kherson region hosted nearly the same number of free style wrestlers and over 500 athletics participants competed in Donetsk. The Youth Sports Games acquire special significance as their participants will uphold the honour of Ukraine at the world Olympiad in Singapore.
Ukraine is a sportive country that has by whom and with what to be proud of. Healthy nation and reliable sports reserve, popularization of healthy life style are constituents of the Youth Olympic Games mission. And there should be no doubts that success of the project «Youth Olympic Games» will apply to our country as well.