LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) — Mixed teams will be an innovative feature of the first Youth Summer Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010 it was announced on Wednesday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the opening day of their Executive Board meeting.
There will be 3,594 athletes involved in all 26 of the sports that feature at a senior Olympics, though there will be less separate competitions within the different sports and will be split up according to age groups.
However, the real innovation of the Games - the brainchild of IOC President Jacques Rogge - is the mixing up of genders in the team competitions, with boys and girls from different countries representing their respective continents.
Certain other sports such as archery, athletics, cycling (with one event a combined one of road race and BMX), fencing, judo, modern pentathlon, swimming, tennis, table tennis and triathlon will also be modelled on that format.
Others will be tried out under another model, such as basketball which will feature teams of just three on half the usual size court.
The inaugural hosts were warned in early August at the Beijing Olympics by The IOC Co-ordination commission chairman Sergey Bubka that they had 'no time to lose' in starting operations for the Games.
"They've got no time to lose from concept to operations," the Ukrainian pole vaulting legend said as he revealed the need to change the original plan for the athletes' village.
"Because of the rise in oil and construction costs we had to find an alternative as the original costs had risen by 2.5 times," said Bubka.
Youth Games organising chairman Ser Niang Ng admitted at the same meeting that Singapore faced a challenge but said they were up to meeting it.
"We have plenty to do and we are aware of the responsibilities," said Ng, who revealed that there had already been 500 million Singapore dollars (363 million US) worth of investment in sports in Singapore.
"It will be a Games run by young people for young people. The IOC made an historical decision when they chose us but we will leave a strong legacy for youth."
Singapore saw off the bid of Moscow to win the right to host the Games.
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