The IOC gets one right?

Couldn't agree with them more on this point of emphasis.

FROM THE WEBSITE OLYMPIC.ORG

05 OCTOBER 2009

Youth and Athletes at the heart of Congress discussions

http://www.olympic.org/en/content/The-IOC/?articleNewsGroup=-1¤tArticlesPageIPP=10¤tArticlesPage=1&articleId=73362

The XIII Olympic Congress today 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’s Bella Center, the Congress embraced digital technology and the Youth Olympic Games as powerful tools for sharing Olympic values with the world’s youth. The 66 recommendations included proposals 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.

“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 priorities,” IOC President Jacques Rogge said. “We will find new ways to share the Olympic values with the world’s youth 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.”

The Congress also highlighted the problem of inactivity and called for action to address it, especially among young people. Delegates asked for closer cooperation between governments and sports organisations, and said governments should build more sporting facilities and offer more time for sport in schools, “at all ages and at all levels.”

The Congress called the new Youth Olympic Games “a unique opportunity in the history of the modern Olympic Movement to raise the bar worldwide in terms of the delivery of educational and sport programmes for all young people.”

emphasis added - C.S.