The International Olympic Committee officially announced that the national Olympic Committees of China, Indonesia, Morocco, Mexico, Poland and Turkey have submitted applications to the International Olympic Committee to bid for the second Youth Summer Olympic Games in 20 14, among which China was identified as Nanjing.
Against the background of Beijing successfully hosting the 2008 Olympic Games and Guangzhou nervously preparing for the 20 10 Asian Games, China, another important big city, confidently took a step towards the Youth Olympic Games, a brand-new large-scale international comprehensive games.
The Youth Olympic Games was born at the initiative of the current IOC President Jacques Rogge. Its original intention is to enhance the influence of the Olympic movement among young people. The age limit for participating athletes is 14 to 18. Like the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games can be divided into summer and winter. In 20 10, the first Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held in Singapore.
Why is Nanjing, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, interested in this young event? What are the chances of winning the bid?
From Nanjing's enthusiasm for sports events in recent years, it is not difficult to see that this economically vibrant ancient capital hopes to further shape the city brand image and promote economic development through sports.
Jiangsu Province was the host of the 10th National Games in 2005, and Nanjing also hosted high-level basketball events such as Stankovic Cup and Diamond Cup in 2006 and 2008. The newly released chess super championship is also a masterpiece. From this perspective, the bid for the Youth Olympic Games should come down in one continuous line, and behind these high-level events may be the grand blueprint for Nanjing to become an international city.
So, is Nanjing capable of hosting the Summer Youth Olympic Games? Professor Lu, a famous sports sociologist, believes that the Youth Olympic Games has not been held so far, and the scale and various conditions of the event are still not very clear. However, the events of the Youth Olympic Games are much less than those of the Olympic Games, and the events of the National Games are basically dominated by the Olympic Games, so it should not be more difficult to hold the Youth Olympic Games than the National Games. Nanjing just hosted the National Games four years ago. Relying on an international metropolis like Shanghai, it should be able to host the Youth Olympic Games in all directions.
As we all know, bidding for the Olympic Games is very intense. In contrast, the Youth Olympic Games is still in the initial stage of development, and the bid is much less difficult. At present, Indonesia, Morocco, Mexico, Poland and Turkey have also submitted applications, among which there are no developed countries. In Professor Lu's view, Nanjing still has certain opportunities.
Lu, who has long been concerned about the development of sports in China, believes that the Youth Olympic Games is close to the Universiade, and the athletes participating in it are basically amateurs. Compared with the Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games is closer to the category of cultural education. Professor Lu said that hosting the Youth Olympic Games is beneficial to the development of sports in China, because it advocates youth sports and amateur competitions, and this event may be beneficial to the institutional transformation of sports in China.
Lu stressed that in the face of the Youth Olympic Games, don't take the gold medal too seriously. If so, it would be against the original intention and concept of hosting the Youth Olympic Games, not to mention chasing gold medals with some extreme measure. In addition, the problem of concealing the age of athletes in China is more serious, and the requirements for the age of athletes in the Youth Olympic Games are more stringent. Hosting the Youth Olympic Games is a lively event. If Nanjing's bid is successful, it should be a grand gathering of youth sports and amateur sports.