On July 6th, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that yes; they will have a Youth Olympic Summer Games in 2010 and a Youth Olympic Winter Games in 2012. As we’ve been reporting recently on this topic, this latest decision clearly indicates that the IOC, which works in its own self-governing bubble, has realized how out of touch they’ve become with youth culture, and therefore their relevancy in the future.
However the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and their goals are rather confusing. First off, the YOG is intended for 14-18-year-olds. When you consider that most gymnasts, for example, in the Olympics are within this age range, does this mean that they’re now going to be a part of the YOG? No—the YOG is for “youth-driven disciplines that are not a part of the Olympic Games,” according to their recent announcement. But if you consider that youth-driven disciplines such as skateboarding often includes top skaters who are older than 18, not to mention other “youth sports” such as surfing and BMX which also average over 18, it’s questionable just how popular the YOG disciplines could be if the top athletes aren’t in them, not to mention what sports may qualify.
According to the IOC, the concept of the YOG is to spread Olympic “values” along with the launch of a younger, hipper website, and promote the benefits of sport among young people. To do this, the IOC is accepting proposals from Sports Federations for youth-driven disciplines to be included in the YOG. Unfortunately, as noted when snowboarding was to become an Olympic sport, and now with skateboarding being umbrella-ed under the Cycling Federation, many popular youth-oriented sports don’t have a “Sports Federation” that’s “recognized” by the IOC (see also “IOC in Talks with Cycling Governing Body to Introduce Skateboarding in 2012 Games,” June, 02007). The bidding process for youth-discipline sports opened this month and will be determined by an Evaluation Committee (it is unclear who this includes) between November and December of this year. By the end of February 2008, the IOC will decide on the final sports and host city for the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
What’s also interesting about this new development is that the IOC has also stated that for the first time, they are going to “consult the public” to “take pulse using the modern methods available to us [we think he means the Internet],” according to President Jacques Rogge. However the public meeting will not take place until October, 2009 during the Olympic Congress in Copenhagen. By opening up to the public (in 2 years), the IOC hopes to gain insight about ideas regarding youth and communication in the digital age, athletes, structure of the Olympic movement, and the ethics of the world of sport. (It’s positively baffling that the IOC can call this a new idea.)
On the one hand, it’s good that the IOC is taking a look outside of their bubble, on the other hand, they are so tentative and doing it so late in the game, it may simply be too late for people to care. There’s already seriously waning interest. As mentioned in our May story on this subject, IOC “Welcomes” Idea of Youth Olympic Games to Start in 2010 with “Relevant” Sports, to many young people that we interview in Label Networks’ Global Youth Culture Studies, the problem with the Olympics are the following perceptions and in this order: Olympic sports are irrelevant; the Olympics are simply a marketing tool for corporations and advertisers; Olympics athletes are disconnected with reality. In essence, the Olympics miss the lifestyle crossover that is vital for attracting youth culture, particularly youth culture in North America which quite honestly has spawned the greatest number of youth-driven sports in the last 15 years.
Instead, the new generation of potential Olympic watchers are watching events that they like such as what’s found in the X Games, or checking out festivals and tours like Air & Style in Europe, the Zumiez Couch Tour in North America, and a plethora of new sports events by various brands around the world. Is it likely that the YOG by 2010 will include skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, freestyle rolling, martial arts, Motocross, urban freestyle parkour, speed climbing, krumping? These would add youth “value” to sports. But not if the IOC takes the tired road of trying to “educate” through a media and marketing blitz about the benefits of exercise through examples of track & field, archery, and sailing. Not to mention, waiting to get public input in October of 2009.
The fact that the IOC is attempting to address the lack of youth culture interest in the Olympics is an interesting step for this ancient and slow organization. However so far with the way the YOG is coming together, it’s not necessarily the most credible concepts or structure ever put together. And without credibility, there’s always the possibility that the YOG may simply fracture the Olympic spirit in general and simply be regarded as the little brother event carrying it’s own cell phone torch next to the old-man’s Olympic flame in an attempt to create a new-school Chariots of Fire momentum under the awful guise of spreading “values.”
