News

On December 4, 2009 the name of Ukraine’s Young Ambassador for the 1st Youth Olympic Games that will take place in Singapore in August, 2010 was made public.
According to the results of the national voting carried out by the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and its General Information Partner «Gala-radio», the honor to represent our country at the Games was awarded to the prominent wrestler, the 2004 Olympic champion in Athens and the 2008 silver medalist in Beijing Iryna Merleni.
«The person nominated Young Ambassador in Ukraine needs no special presentation as her victories of the Olympic Games, World and European Championships speak for her. She is a bright personality, responsible and extremely talented. As an experienced athlete, Iryna has much to say about the World of Sport, and I believe she will easily rouse the Ukrainian youth’s interest for the Games and get them involved into the Olympic Movement,» the NOC of Ukraine President, the Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the YOG-2010 Sergey Bubka said.
«For me this victory means even more then those I’ve got in wrestling. To tell the truth, I am just happy! Being the Ambassador of the whole country on the athletic Olympus is a great honour and at the same time a great responsibility, and I will do all I can to live up to the expectations of those who have voted for me», the newly nominated Young Ambassador of Ukraine for the 1st Youth Olympic Games commented.
In March, 2010 Iryna Merleni will take part in the Young Ambassadors Seminar held in parallel to the Chefs of the Missions Seminar in Singapore.

Additional information:

- Ukraine was elected by IOC one of the 30 countries to delegate its Young Ambassador for the 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
- Six candidates – the representatives of Ukrainian sport and show-business – were competing to get nominated: Anna Bessonova, Roman Gontuk and Iryna Merleni, Oleksandr Ostanin, Inna Tsymbalyuk and Vitaliy Kozlovskiy.
- The Young Ambassador will represent Ukraine at all the events which will take place in Singapore as a part of the 1st YOG, and will accompany and support the national team. In her motherland the Ambassador will be the one in charge of introducing the projects concerned with the Games.


NOC of Ukraine
www.noc-ukr.org