OLYMPIC REVIEW25YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMESYOGSpirit

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES26OLYMPIC REVIEWenvironment or how to lead a healthy lifestyle. The CEP also includes two other excitinginitiatives - the Young Ambassadors and YoungReporters programmes. The Young AmbassadorsProgramme has seen NOCs nominateyoung representatives between the ages of 18 to 28 to join theircountry's delegation and help inspiretheir athletes - and other youngpeople - to take full advantage ofthe exciting cultural andeducational activities on offerduring the YOG. The Young Reporters programme, meanwhile,will bring 26 young journalists to Singapore fromaround the world and four from the host country,offering them the chance to live in the YouthOlympic Village (YOV) alongside the athletes andreport on the YOG after specialised media training."All these young reporters will be able to meetthe athletes, Olympians and Games organisers,"explains Mark Adams, IOC CommunicationsDirector. "They will receive training from seasoned media professionals and will also be able to accessthe very same cultural, training and educationalprogrammes being offered to the athletes." In the build-up to Singapore 2010, the IOC hasalso been busy engaging with young people aroundthe world via popular sites such as Facebook andTwitter, while the 200-day countdown saw thelaunch of an exciting new visual identity for the YOG, called YOG-DNA. Billed as a "label" rather than a logo, YOG-DNAincorporates the Olympic rings and represents theattitudes and freedom of young people, acting as a"stamp of approval" for anything that encompassesthe spirit of the Youth Olympic Games. The launch was backed by an online video that explains what it means to have "YOG-DNA",and the label will now become a recognisableMarkAdamsIOCCommunicationsDirector"The young reporters canaccess the same cultural and educational programmes as the athletes"