Youth Olympic Games 2010 Big Boost for Table Tennis
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 119th session
in Guatemala City on Thursday 5th July 2007 decided to introduce
the Youth Olympic Games to commence in 2010 for summer sports
and in 2012 for winter sports.
Designed for the age group fourteen to eighteen years old,
the Youth Olympic Games will bring together approximately
three thousand two hundred athletes and eight hundred officials
for the Summer Games plus one thousand athletes and five hundred
and eighty officials for the Winter Games.
The overall sports programme for the first Games in 2010
will be identical to the 2012 Summer Games but with a limited
number of disciplines and events. Now, the onus passes to
the International Table Tennis Federation and other governing
bodies.
It is now their responsibility in co-operation with the International
Olympic Committee, to study the sport specific options in
order to determine the technical aspects for competition and
a fair qualification process.
Undoubtedly the introduction of a full scale Youth Olympics
is tremendous news and endorses the efforts of the ITTF Global
Junior Programme. Introduced in 2002 the ITTF Global Junior
Programme today features more than twenty-five events world
wide, including a yearly ITTF World Junior Championships as
the premier competition.
“This is simply fantastic news for us; the introduction
of a Youth Olympic Games will for sure strengthen our own
progressive programme and even further motivate national associations
to activate the young forces in our sport”, said Judit
Faragó, ITTF Executive Vice President and the responsible
official for the ITTF Global Junior Programme.
“We are well prepared to show the world that table
tennis is as attractive as ever, especially when considering
after the fantastic displays our future stars have demonstrated
at the World Junior Championships the last few years”,
continued Judit Faragó. “I am sure that table
tennis will be a great success in the opening games 2010.”
A bidding process for the first Summer Games in 2010 will
commence immediately; a special panel composed of International
Federations, National Olympic Committees and athletes representatives
will start to visit candidate cities in November and December
this year.
The final decision will be made in the end of February 2008
by the members of the International Olympic Committee.
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"Source:
ITTF Press Release