Youth Olympics needs time to earn its sporting status
NO sporting event establishes itself without growing pains.
ABSENT: Jodie Williams is perhaps the biggest name missing from the Great Britain Youth Olympic Games team - instead travelling to next week's IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships (Getty Images)
The Football Association didn't enter the World Cup until 1950, 20 years after Fifa staged the first tournament, because they feared it would rival their own showpiece, the FA Cup.
While after the disjointed and disastrous second Olympic Games - staged in Paris in 1900 - Pierre de Courbetin remarked: "It's a miracle that the Olympic Movement survived that celebration".
So perhaps it's only fair to give next month's Youth Olympic Games, which IOC president Jacques Rogge hopes will be his legacy, a chance to establish itself.
Although in a world where prudence dictates and reality demands that sporting events are judged successful by dollars raised and audience share, it is luckily being bankrolled by the IOC as it takes its first tentative steps.
The British Olympic Association today announced a 40-strong team of 14 to 18-year olds that will compete across 16 sports in Singapore - as the Olympic movement returns to the city where London was entrusted with the 2012 Games, almost exactly five years ago.
The headlines will focus on the inclusion of World and European diving champion Tom Daley.
Two years ago in Beijing Daley was the baby of Team GB, in Singapore the 16-year old - who has just finished his GCSEs - will be the one others look to as the voice of experience.
However, many of our brightest teen hopes will not be traveling.
Sprinter Jodie Williams, 16, who last year became the first girl to achieve a World Youth Championships 100 and 200 metres double, will instead look to repeat the feat at next week's IAAF World Junior Championships in Canada.
Jack Meredith, the 17-year old who recently clocked a blistering 13.32 seconds to break the UK junior 110m hurdles record at the prestigious Bislett Games in Oslo, has also set his priorities on Moncton, along with Ben Williams, the 18-year old world youth triple jump champion.
Swimmer Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, who won the 50m and 100m breaststroke titles at the British Gas Swimming Championships aged 16, will travel to Budapest to get her first taste of senior international competition at the European Championships next month.
Indeed, despite an abundance of promising teenagers, only two British swimmers will compete in Singapore.
National team coaches have made no secret are they focussing their attentions on the 39-strong team that travels to next week's European Junior Championships in Helsinki, which includes Braxston Timm and Ieuan Lloyd, who are already starting to push themselves into the senior ranks.
Elsewhere, Oliver Golding who reached the boy's singles semi-finals at Wimbledon will travel but 16-year old Laura Robson - who won the junior girl's title at the All England Club two years ago - is not looking beyond the US Open.
And diminutive weightlifter Zoe Smith, who won silver at this year's European junior championships, is gearing her training towards October's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
However, such absences should not be seen as a criticism of the event.
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Comments
Location, Location,
Location, Location, Location-Singapore was not the best choice for the first venue and few athletes would want to travel to a distant region not well known and unattractive.
Have to agree. Besides, the
Have to agree. Besides, the climate is far from great - very hot, very humid and very wet. Should have played a safer hand for the first event.
I agree. A waste of time and
I agree. A waste of time and money. Location is very poor as well. Well done organisers - that's another fine mess you've created.
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