2014 Summer Youth Olympics


The 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games, officially known as II Summer Youth Olympic Games, were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports, education and cultural festival for teenagers, held from 16 to 28 August 2014 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. These were the second Olympic Games held in China after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, making it the first country to host both regular and Youth Olympics.

Bidding process

The International Olympic Committee established the Youth Olympic Games in July 2007. The 2014 host city was elected on 10 February 2010, during the 2010 IOC Session in Vancouver. This was the first election of a Youth Olympic Games host city held in an IOC Session. The elections for the host cities of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics and 2012 Winter Youth Olympics were done through postal votes by IOC members.
Like other Olympic events, the 2014 Summer Youth Games has its own logo.
The logo consists of three parts. The colorful "NANJING" reflects the image of the gate of Nanjing and the features of some Jiangnan houses. The various colors symbolize youths' energetic spirit.

Venues

All of the venues are located in four zones within Nanjing. All venues with the exception of the cycling road, sailing, and triathlon venues, were temporary.
The Nanjing Olympic Sports Center hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.
DistrictVenueImageSportsCapacity
GulouLongjiang GymnasiumJudo, Wrestling
GulouWutaishan Sports CenterBasketball, Football, Table tennis
JiangningFangshan Sports Training BaseArchery, Shooting
JiangningJiangning Sports CenterFootball, Handball
JiangningJinniu Lake Sailing VenueSailing
JianyeNanjing International Expo CenterBoxing, Fencing, Modern Pentathlon, Taekwondo, Weightlifting
JianyeNanjing Olympic Sports CenterAquatics, Athletics, Gymnastics, Modern Pentathlon60,000
PukouLaoshan National Forest ParkCycling
PukouYouth Olympic Sports ParkBeach Volleyball, Cycling, Field Hockey, Rugby Sevens
XuanwuNanjing Sport InstituteBadminton, Tennis
XuanwuXinzhuang Equestrian Venue, generally known as the Nanjing International Exhibition CenterEquestrian
XuanwuXuanwu Lake ParkTriathlon
XuanwuXuanwu Lake Rowing-Canoeing VenueCanoeing, Rowing
XuanwuZhongshan International Golf ClubGolf

Torch relay

The Youth Olympic torch was designed by the Vatti Corporation Ltd. The torch is known as the "Gate of Happiness." A structure resembling a city gate is found on the top part of the torch and the blue color of the torch represents the peaceful tranquility of Nanjing. The Yangtze which flows next to Nanjing is presented as stripes found on the handle of the torch. It is said that the torch is capable of resisting wind speeds of 11 m/s, rainfall of 50mm/h, altitude of up to 4500m and a temperature range of -15˚C to 45˚C.
Following Olympic tradition the torch lighting ceremony was held on 30 April 2014 in Athens, Greece at the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games were held. Four young athletes from Greece and China competed in a mini-relay.
The torch relay was divided into two parts. The first part was a digital relay where people who downloaded an app were able to participate in the relay through an interactive option called "Give Me Fire." When using this feature users were able to pass the Youth Olympic flame to their friends by touching their devices together. The relay visited 258 different online locations from the 204 participating NOCs over a 98-day period.
After the digital relay the relay began its physical portion in Nanjing where a 10-day relay was held. 104 torch bearers carried the torch singularly or in pairs over 100 legs. Torch bearers were primarily focused on youth and included individuals from sport, culture, media, volunteers and the International Olympic Committee. Notable torch bearers included two time badminton Olympian gold medalist Lin Dan, 2008 Olympic fencing gold medalist Zhong Man, director Chen Weiya and composer Bian Liunian.

Sports

222 events, there will be 13 mixed team events, 4 mixed team events, 1 open event, 109 men's events, and 95 women's events. This is a tentative list of the sports program taken from the general presentation of the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014. Golf and Rugby sevens will be contested for the first time. Beach volleyball will replace indoor volleyball and other format changes to sports like field hockey which introduced a five a side format. New events have also been introduced in some of the sports including a shooting mixed gender event among others.

Demonstration sports

These were the demonstration sports in the games:
The NYOGOC did not keep an official medal tally. The ranking in this table is based on information provided by the IOC and is consistent with IOC convention in its published medal tables. For the full medal table, refer to the main article.
Medals won by teams with athletes from more than one National Olympic Committee are included in the table as medals awarded to a mixed-NOCs team. There were eight events which composed entirely of mixed-NOCs teams, and as such all 25 medals in these events, including two bronzes in judo, were swept by mixed-NOCs teams. The remaining medals were won in events which combined mixed-NOCs teams and teams representing one NOC. The mixed-NOCs listing is not given a ranking.
Alongside the mixed-NOCs teams, the top ten ranked NOCs are listed below. China, as host nation, is also included in the table.

Calendar

222 events are expected to be held over the 2014 Youth Olympics. The schedule will be finalized as the event becomes closer.

Participating nations

203 out of 204 nations competed. Both Sierra Leone and Nigeria were planning to participate, but on 13 August 2014 both nations pulled out due to pressure from Chinese Authorities in an attempt to prevent Ebola from West Africa from entering their nation. On 15 August 2014 Liberia also withdrew along with two athletes from Guinea being barred by the International Olympic Committee due to fears that the nature of their sports could pose a risk to other athletes. An athlete from South Sudan will compete under the Olympic flag as they do not have a National Olympic Committee. The ten nations with the most athletes are China, Brazil, United States, Australia, Russia, Germany, Egypt, France, Japan, and Mexico.
Participating :Category:Nations at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics|National Olympic Committees

Cultural and education program

Youth Olympic Games incorporate a Cultural and Education Program, featuring a variety of cultural and educational activities for young people. Youth Olympics include educational experience based on Olympic values that promote healthy lifestyles and allow young athletes to become well-rounded people with "true sporting spirits." Well-known athletes and "international specialists" guide the young participants. The program combines "Olympic traditions with diverse cultures to spread the Olympic spirit."

Athlete role models

On 17 March 2014 37 athletes from the 28 Olympic sports were chosen by the IOC to be role models at the 2014 Youth Olympics. The athletes will offer support, mentor and advice to the participating youth Olympians. As an athlete role model they will take part in activities and workshops on healthy lifestyles, social responsibility and Olympism. They will also take part in informal chats known as "chat with champions." On 9 April 2014 and 22 April 2014 footballer Simone Farina and swimmer Patrick Murphy were appointed as the 38th and 39th Athlete Role Model respectively.
SportAthlete Role ModelNOCOlympics Participated
Aquatics Minxia WuChina2004, 2008, 2012
Aquatics Patrick MurphyAustralia2004, 2008
ArcheryKhatuna LorigUnited States1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012
AthleticsDwight PhillipsUnited States2000, 2004
AthleticsKajsa Bergqvist1996, 2000
AthleticsLiu XiangChina2004, 2008, 2012
BadmintonNathan Robertson2000, 2004, 2008
BadmintonCheng Wen Hsing2004, 2008, 2012
BasketballJorge GarbajosaSpain2000, 2004, 2008
BasketballAnna ArkhipovaRussia2000, 2004
BoxingRen CancanChina2012
Canoeing Lisa CarringtonNew Zealand2012
Cycling Frédéric MagnéFrance1988, 1992, 1996, 2000
Equestrian Samantha Lam2008
FencingLei ShengChina2008, 2012
FencingMiles Chamley-WatsonUnited States2012
FootballSimone FarinaItaly
FootballSun WenChina1996, 2000
GolfGrace Park
Gymnastics Jani Tanskanen
Gymnastics Elizabeth Tweddle2004, 2008, 2012
Gymnastics Luboŭ Čarkašyna2012
Gymnastics Nuno Merino2004
HandballAlexandra do Nascimento2004, 2008, 2012
Field HockeyTeun de NooijerNetherlands1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012
JudoLucie DecosseFrance2004, 2008, 2012
Modern PentathlonAmelie CazeFrance2004, 2008, 2012
RowingErin CafaroUnited States2008, 2012
Rugby SevensHeather MoyseCanada2006, 2010, 2014
SailingJuan Perdomo
ShootingIvana Maksimovic2012
Table TennisJorgen Persson1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012
Table TennisWang LiqinChina2000, 2004, 2008
TaekwondoWu JingyuChina2008, 2012
TennisParadorn Srichaphan2000, 2004
TriathlonEmma SnowsillAustralia2008
Volleyball Zhang XiChina2008, 2012
WeightliftingKendrick FarrisUnited States2008, 2012
WrestlingKaori IchoJapan2004, 2008, 2012

A total of 104 people were selected by their National Olympic Committee to be young ambassadors. Young Ambassadors are aged between 18 and 25 and are athletes, coaches, students or young professionals that demonstrate the Olympic values and inspire and empower young people to do the same.
The main roles of the Young Ambassadors is to promote the Youth Olympics in their nations and to encourage athletes of their nations to get the most out of the Youth Olympic experience by encouraging them to interact with people from different sports and cultures and to take part in activities and workshops.
A seminar has held from 25–28 March 2014 in order to prepare the ambassadors for the Youth Olympics by teaching them about the cultures and activities Nanjing has to offer.
NOCNameSportsNotes
Abdelmalek LahoulouAthletics
Andreia Miranda GoncalvesSwimming
Boxing
AustraliaJessica FoxCanoeing Slalom2010 Youth Olympian, 2012 Olympian
Stefan JanischSnowboarding, Tennis
Arzu MəmmədovaFootball
Megan ShepherdSports Writer
Mohammed Farhadur RahmanBasketball, Cricket, Football
Ryan O'Neal BrathwaiteCake Baker and Decorator
Nastasja ŠpileŭskaTennisNOC Staff
Sophie ParisSki MountaineeringNOC Staff
Edin BrankovićShort-Track Speed Skating
Mothusi RamaabyaAuditing and Advisory
Lara TeixeiraSynchronized Swimming2008, 2012 Olympian
Damyan DikovBasketballCoach
Prosper BabinneFootballNOC Volunteer
CanadaDillon RichardsonBaseball, BasketballNOC Staff
ChileJoaquín BalliviánAthletics2010 Youth Olympian
ChinaLu TingNOC Staff
Emily YehTennis
Juan Sebastian Sanchez DiazOrienteering Federation Volunteer
Tarapiripa BishopFootball, Netball
Gabriel ZumbadoTriathlon2010 Youth Olympian
Danijela GrgićAthletics
Leydi Laura Moya LopezModern Pentathlon2010 Youth Olympian
Chrystalleni TrikomitiGymnastics Rhythmic2012 Olympian
Klara MejdrickaVolleyball
Ann-Sofie DalsgaardFootballNOC Staff
Estefania GeorgeNOC Staff
Adriana Lastra CabezasAthletics
Mostafa AwadallaHandball2010 Youth Olympian
Laura-Maria LehisteJudo
Desalegn MedibawFootball
Matelita BuadromoSwimming2012 Olympian
Laura LepistoFigure Skating2010 Olympian
FranceThomas BouhailGymnastics Artistic2008 Olympian
GermanyMarlene Gomez IslingerTriathlon2010 Youth Olympian
Max BetteridgeFootballCoach
Filippos PapageorgiouEquestrian
Kara ArchibaldSwimmingCoach
Gabriela Matus BonillaAthletics
Sacha DurocherEquestrianCoach
Hoi Shun Stephanie AuSwimming2008, 2012 Olympian
Bjarki BenediktssonFootballCoach
Irham FadliNOC Volunteer
Leah EwartField Hockey2010 Youth Olympian
ItalyElisa SantoniGymnastics Rhythmic2004, 2008, 2012 Olympian
Ruth GbagbiTaekwondo2010 Youth Olympian, 2012 Olympian
Kedisha DallasAthletics
JapanRan YagisawaDancesport
Shaden Adel ThweibMartial Arts
Kim Da HyeShooting
Saltanat IbraevaNOC Volunteer
Toms MarkssPR Specialist at Latvian Cycling Federation
Tony TarrafVolleyballDirector of Lebanese Volleyball Federation
Gintare OkuleviciuteRowing
Nina BalabanShooting
Harinelina RakotondramananaFencing
Benjamin KhorShooting
Henry Fenouillot de FalbaireSwimming
MexicoAndrea Probert AvilaFootball, Triathlon
Ana Maria StratuKarate
Tugsbayar GansukhWeightlifting
Ahmed Hamza ChraibiTennisPresident and Founder of Arab Excellence
Lurdi AronBasketball, Tennis
NetherlandsJoyce SeesingCycling BMX
New ZealandRenee HannahWater Skiing
Torgrim SommerfeldtBasketball
Mahnoor MaqsoodSwimming
Hannah IlaveSwimming, Triathlon
Carlos Caballero GomezSquash
Aleiandro QuinonesCanoeing
Nadine GutierrezFootball, Muay-Thai, SwimmingNOC Intern
Monika HojniszBiathlon
Mariana CatarinoSwimming
Betsmara CruzSwimmingCoach
Hannah Al-BaderHandball
Emil ImreShort-Track Speed Skating
RussiaOlga PonomarSports Journalist
Fredric SweeneySailingCoach
Youssouph NdaoFencing
Aleksandra KebicHandballNOC Staff
Rui Qi LowSailing
Monika FasungovaBadminton2012 Olympian
Vanja MesecHandball
Reabetewe MpeteField Hockey
Ishika de SilvaRowing
Frida NevalainenIce Hockey2006, 2010 Olympian
Lisa GislerCurling2012 Youth Olympian
Alaa MuntasirEquestrian
Negmatullo RajabaliyevTennisCoach
Apisada KusolsilpSports Authority of Thailand Employee
Jeannette SmallBadmintonCoach and NOC Staff
Marwen ChaiebRugbyCoach
Giray CavdarTennisCoach
Shamim BangiBadminton
Oleksandr UsykBoxing2008, 2012 Olympian
United StatesJessica LuscinskiFootballCoach and NOC Staff
Jemille VialetSwimming
Rashid BurnashevAthletics
Van Hao NguyenAthletics
Omar Al-MogahedBasketball, Football, Table TennisUN Yemeni Youth Delegate
Samantha MiyandaFootball
Rukudzo GonaBasketball, Football, Rugby

Controversies

Isolation and barring of Nigerian athletes in the Games

Following the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, Chinese officials quarantined and isolated all Nigerian athletes from all sporting facilities despite all testing negative to Ebola before the games. The Nigerian Olympic committee reacted to the discrimination by withdrawing all its athletes from the games.

Doping

One taekwondo athlete were disqualified on 5 November after testing positive for the banned diuretic furosemide.