The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are an International Olympic Committee (IOC) initiative and aim to educate and inspire young athletes to become ambassadors for Olympic values in their communities and encourage their peers to play sport. They will be organised every four years according to the traditional timeframe of the adult Games.
The Games will accompany other initiatives in trying to address the declining physical activity among young people. Sports events will be complemented by educational and cultural programmes incorporating all the Olympic symbols and embodying the Olympic spirit.
Interactive workshops hosted by well-known athletes, artists and other personalities will familiarise young athletes with Olympic values, healthy lifestyles and anti-doping issues.
While the number of sports in Singapore will mirror those planned for London 2012, the Youth Olympics will be adapted to the needs of young people. Each event will involve athletes from three age groups (15-16, 16-17 and 17-18), and young athletes' interests will be taken into account in the organisation of the events. Basketball, for example, will be played according to the international basketball association's (FIBA) '33' formula, meaning teams of three will play against one another on a half-court, a format which is popular among young players.
The European Commission's White Paper on Sport notes that the "Olympic ideal of developing sport to promote peace and understanding among nations and cultures as well as the education of young people was born in Europe," endorsing the role of sport in contributing to solidarity and social integration.
The Commission sees sport as an important means of facilitating social inclusion by promoting a "shared sense of belonging," and strives to raise the role of sport in promoting intercultural understanding in the framework of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008.
The EU executive is also encouraging member states to strengthen cooperation between the health, education and sport sectors to promote healthy lifestyles.
