Youth olympic games: the process of the formation

In August 2010 in Singapore take place the First Summer Youth Olympic Games, in which 3600 athletes from 204 countries took part. The program was almost the same as it will be at the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London 2012 with differences, depends of age of the participants. It was new global event for youth people from all over the world, which made possible young athletes come together to inspire the spirit of Olympism.

The idea of the Youth Olympic Games couldn‘t birth from nothing. In the last twenty years it were many different events for young athletes, which tried to look like the Games of the Olympiad.
Aim of the research is to follow the process of the formation of the Youth Olympic Games.

Subjects:
1. Define factors, which contribute to the organization of the Youth Olympic Games.
2. Analyze different forms of the organization of complex international youth competitions.

Methods:
1. Analysis of the literary sources
2. Comparative analysis
Results and conclusions:
The main factor of organizing the Youth Olympic Games was the fast progress of the physical culture and sport between young people all over the world.
We‘ve considered the main forms of complex international competitions:
European Youth Olympic Festival, World Youth Games (Moscow, 1998), Australian Youth Olympic Festival, Asian Youth Games.
European Youth Olympic Festivals have been held since 1991. At the present time, number of athletes (2500) and NOCs (48) are considerably higher, than it was at the beginning (2048 athletes and 33 NOCs).

Australian Youth Olympic Festivals have been held since 2001. In this competitions participate young athletes from Asia, South and North America and Europe. In 2001 there were more than 2000 participants from 23 countries. Now, a number of athletes and countries have increased to 2200 athletes and 25 countries.

The results of the research show that number of athletes and NOCs, participating in European and Australian Youth Olympic Festivals is permanently increasing. It gives a real picture that youths sport in the world is intensively developing and the continental and regional competitions of the young athletes are becoming more and more popular.

European and Australian Youth Olympic Festivals have a short history, but they have already proved their significance. Analysis of biographies of the athletes - participants of the Festivals shows that many of them later were included in the national teams, and took part with success in the Games of the Olympiad and other internationals competitions.

It shows that the complex international competitions between youth make it possible to prepare young athletes for future sport career due to concurrence and atmosphere of the Olympism. In that case the organization of the Youth Olympic Games is the logical result of the progress in the youth sport, which allows make conditions not just for good sports result but as well for friendship and changing cultural wealth between youth people from different countries, and for education the Olympic values.

Melnikova N., Papenov Y.