Why Youth Olympics are crucial?

The Youth Olympic Festivals are essential for the preparation and development of future Team GB Olympic champions. With the London Olympic Games less than five years away, now is the time to focus on developing our wealth of young talent.

The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) and its winter counterpart, the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOWF), together with the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) are the only events outside of the senior Olympic and Olympic Winter Games which are officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Giving Britain’s bright young talent the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Youth Festivals enables them to experience a multi-sport environment reminiscent of an Olympic Games and promotes the Olympic ideals of fair play, honesty, and pride in representing and competing for Great Britain.

Double Olympic gold medallist Lord Seb Coe knows only too well how preparations before an important race can make all the difference to the result:

“I wish I’d had this type of opportunity at the beginning of my career. There is no substitute for experiencing high level competition. It allows athletes to understand all the things which go along with competing: living in a village environment with other athletes from other sports, managing your time and handling the highs and the lows.”

“Sometimes the biggest challenge is how to manage your rest time in between matches and races, so that you are at your peak both mentally and physically when you need to compete.”

“Competitions are often won or lost in the days leading up to an event. The British Olympic Association’s unique role in this period is so important and they have always excelled in giving Team GB athletes the best possible chance of success.”

Many Team GB Olympians have already graduated from the EYOF to succeed at the Olympic Games. This includes swimmer David Davies who attended the 2001 EYOF in Murcia, Spain and went on to win a bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle at the Athens Olympic Games, and European and World Judo Champion Craig Fallon who was a member of Team GB at the 1997 EYOF in Lisbon, Portugal. It is hoped this trend will continue towards London 2012 and beyond.