The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Tuesday gave a thumbs-up to all three cities vying to host the third Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2018.
Buenos Aires, Glasgow and Medellin in Colombia “present minimal risk to the IOC,” an evaluation report concluded.
A month from now, the election of the host city will be put to the IOC members at an extraordinary session at IOC headquarters in Lausanne.
The 34-page report is the results of questionnaires and dossiers submitted by the three cities, as well as videoconference call held earlier in the year. A working group of an Evalauation Committee led by German IOC member Claudia Bokel wrote the report.
The main criticism raised for each of the cities surrounded the Culture and Education programs, a critical component of the YOG. For Buenos Aires and Glasgow, the Commission is looking for more details in the report and more activities, while for Medellin, the report noted that the program should be available to more of the athletes that are in separate locations.
From a finance standpoint Medellin gets the most glowing review.
“The bid enjoys strong support from all levels of government in terms of direct subsidies to the budget as well as operations and services delivered free of charge to the YOGOC,” the report acknowledged.
However, the Evaluation Commission showed some concern with Buenos Aires’ strategies
The report said “…some concern still remains with regards to the funding and related guarantees underpinning the bid.”
“Further efforts would need to be made, should Buenos Aires be elected as host city.”
Nanjing, China is scheduled to host the next YOG in 2014; the inaugeral Games were held in Singapore in 2010.
In 2012 a winter edition of the YOG was held in Innsbruck; Lillehammer is set to host in 2016.
