IOC will not pressure countries to send athletes to YOG
By Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 11 November 2009 2100 hrs

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SINGAPORE : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not pressure countries to send their best athletes for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG), said Sergey Bubka, chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Games.

His comments were made in light of the recent pull-out of some top US athletes from the 2010 Games.

The IOC Coordination Commission last visited Singapore in May this year.

This time round, it was updated that 530 staff are working full-time on the August 2010 Games.

The commission is also confident that the best young athletes will come to Singapore, despite the pull-out of US swimmers, shooters and cyclists, citing that the games will not provide high-level competition.

"They still have time to assess and to understand how important (this is) for their young athletes. And I think it will be a big regret to the athletes if they not go to the Games," said Bubka.

For now, the YOG headquarters hosted a different group of youths. More than 100 youth delegates attending the APEC Summit got a chance to learn more about the Games.

The IOC Coordination Commission will be in Singapore over the next two days.

It will visit the Marina Barrage on Thursday. The Barrage will be used as one of the venues for the Youth Olympic Games Culture and Education Programme, where athletes will learn more about water management. - CNA /ls