Reuters reports International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said Wednesday he would resist pressure from cities bidding to host the Youth Olympic Games to turn it into a bigger and more expensive competition.
About 3,500 athletes attended the first Youth Summer Games held in Singapore in 2010. The Youth Games were introduced by Rogge to attract younger athletes and increase awareness among younger viewers.
Rogge said since the Singapore Games there has been pressure from host cities to grow. He told reporters, “this is something we have to be very vigilant (about). We have limits on cities, the Games cannot be too expensive”.
The Glasgow 2018 Youth Games are said to cost about 200 million pounds with bid organizers seeing it compete to become the third largest sports event in the world, about the size of the Commonwealth Games.
About 150 athletes graduated from the Singapore Games to the London Olympics, with several winning medals.
Meanwhile on Wednesday Rogge called the London Olympics “really very good Games”. He said a successful British team has been “very important” in lifting the mood of the home fans.
Rogge told reporters, “there is the success of the home team which is always very important for the mood of the public, and our British friends are performing in an unbelievable way”.
He added that the athletes are “ecstatic” about conditions in the Athletes Village. “All in all, I would say these are really very good Games and I am a very happy man”.
