Vuk Matovic and Nikola Simovic
of Serbia get off the water after
training at Marina Reservoir in
the lead up to the 2010 Youth
Olympic Games in Singapore.
The first edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) were held in Singapore in 2010,
with the Youth Olympic Regatta staged from 14 to 19 August.
A total of 45 countries sent 96 athletes aged 17 to 18
to compete over 1,000m in one of four boat classes:
the junior men’s and women’s single sculls or the junior
men’s and women’s pair.
sports and cultures. Another big difference is
the introduction of exciting new sporting
formats by the International Federations.”
FISA president Denis Oswald said an important reason
behind the establishment of the YOG was the dimin-
ishing interest in the Olympic Games observed in the
15 to 30 year old age group. Oswald said there was a
need to motivate young athletes.
© FISA
Indeed, closing the Youth Olympic Regatta
was a sprint relay organized over 250m.
Each mixed gender team consisted of
four single sculls (two junior men and two
junior women) and two pairs (one with
junior men and one with junior women)
and represented a mix of the crews that
were the fastest and the slowest during the
Youth Olympic Regatta in order to make
the teams as equal as possible. This mix of
languages and nationalities in each team
was a challenge at times, but one that all
the teams rose to. Happy faces, laugh-
ter and chatting brought the Youth
Olympic Regatta to a fantastic end.
In an interview with World Rowing, IOC President
Jacques Rogge described the Youth Olympic Games
in the following way: “The Youth Olympic Games is a
chance to inspire young people to take up their sports
and to educate the athletes who are here how to become
champions both on the field of play and in life. The Youth
Olympic Games are even more about other activities, not
just sport. The main difference is that the Youth Olympic
Games provide an environment where young athletes are
encouraged to learn, share and build friendships through
a supporting Culture and Education Programme. These
Games will provide them with a broad understanding of
international competition and exposure to many different
“We are very pleased that 204 Na-
tional Olympic Committees are
taking part in the inaugural Youth
Olympic Games,” said Rogge. “As
the Youth Olympic Games are about
learning and sharing, greater diversity
can produce better and more meaningful discussions
among the athletes. The Youth Olympic Games are
a celebration of the world’s youth, and that celebra-
tion would not be possible without such a large pool of
athletes representing so many backgrounds.” 2010 Youth Olympic Champions Boat Class Nation Athlete(s) J W1x Germany Judith Sievers JM1x Lithuania Rolandas Mascinskas JW2- Great Britain Georgia Howard-Merrill (b) Fiona Gammond (s) JM2- Slovenia Jure Grace (b) Grega Domanjko (s)
