Information about a piece of news titled Olympic Congress puts priority on youth and athletes
Olympic Congress puts priority on youth and athletes
Intoduction
The XIII Olympic Congress hosted in Copenhagen recently approved a set of recommendations with a strong focus on youth and athletes, declaring that “youth and athletes are equally at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”
Wrapping up a three-day meeting in Copenhagen, the Congress embraced digital technology and the Youth Olympic Games as powerful tools for sharing Olympic values with the world’s young people.
A total of 66 recommendations were proposed to get young people engaged in sport; to better protect athletes - medically, psychologically and after their sporting careers; to take full advantage of new digital technology; and to use the new Youth Olympic Games as a model for youth competition worldwide.
The recommendations cover each of the five themes that Congress delegates discussed under the overarching theme of “The Olympic Movement in Society.” The five topics were “The Athletes,” “The Olympic Games,” “The Structure of the Olympic Movement,” “Olympism and Youth,” and “The Digital Revolution.”
- The XIII Olympic Congress will be remembered as the Congress of Youth and Athletes. It has delivered clear guidance that serving young people and athletes should be our top priority, IOC President Jacques Rogge said.
- We will find new ways to share Olympic values with the world’s young people and get them involved in sport. We will redouble our efforts to protect the health and safety of athletes, and help them prepare for life after sport, Rogge added.
The recommendations were drawn from hundreds of ideas and suggestions offered over the past two years by Olympic Family members, academics, medical specialists, coaches, referees, athletes, journalists, representatives from non-governmental organisations and members of the general public. More than 1,700 contributions were delivered via the “Virtual Olympic Congress,” an online forum.