IOC To Move Youth Olympic Games to Odd-Numbered Years

The IOC at its recent “Olympic Agenda 2020” meeting passed, among other things, a recommendation to move the Youth Olympic Games to odd-numbered years from the current even-numbered years opposite their respective senior Olympic Games.

This move, if formally enacted, will take effect when a yet-unnamed host will hold the 2023 Summer Youth Olympic Games rather than the 2022 Summer Youth Olympic Games.

While previously, the Summer Youth Olympic Games did not clash on year with the Summer Olympics, and the Winter Youth Olympic Games did not clash with the Winter Olympics, but the Winter Youth Olympics clashed with the Summer Olympics, and vice-versa.

The Youth Olympic Games are hosted every four years, beginning in 2010 for the Summer Games and 2012 for the Winter Games. Among other functions, these events have been a bit of a boiling-pot for ideas that the IOC wants to experiment with, such as mixed swimming relays or three-on-three basketball.

The Games are for athletes aged 14 to 18, meaning that no athlete gets more than one shot at attending.

Youth Olympic Games hosting schedule:

  • Summer – 2010 – Singapore
  • Winter – 2012 – Innsbruck
  • Summer – 2014 – Nanjing
  • Winter – 2016 – Lillehammer
  • Summer – 2018 – Buenos Aires
  • Winter – 2020 – unnamed
  • Summer – 2023 – unnamed*

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John Meyers
8 years ago

Does this mean that swimmers born in 2004 will not have the chance to participate in any Youth Olympics. They would be too young to participate in in 2018 and too old to participate in 2023.

Jim Dodrill
Reply to  John Meyers
8 years ago

exactly my comment. I think it is horrible that athletes born in 2004 would be shut out like this.

wyatt
9 years ago

“This move, if formally enacted, will take effect when a yet-unnamed host will hold the 2023 Summer Olympic Games rather than the 2022 Summer Olympic Games.”

Shouldn’t it say:
“This move, if formally enacted, will take effect when a yet-unnamed host will hold the 2023 Summer Youth Olympic Games rather than the 2022 Summer Youth Olympic Games.”

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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