IOC Announces Youth Olympics

Last Thursday saw the IOC make a landmark decision: they announced that the first ever Youth Olympics would be taking place in August 2010. This will be the first time that young athletes will get the chance to compete for Olympic gold, and they will be held over 12 days with an expected 3200 kids aged between 14 and 18 competing. The Winter Games will be held in 2012 and are expected to attract 1000 athletes.

IOC Supremo Jacques Rogge admitted that the scheme was not just an initiative to tackle child obesity but also a result of today’s youth losing interest in the traditional events involved the Summer Games. Indeed he acknowledged that the youth of today are more interested in competitions like the X Games, which feature BMX Freestyle, Skateboarding, Surfing and FMX.

The IOC has already added skateboarding to the London Olympics in 2012, and so the Youth Olympics is yet another attempt by the IOC to strengthen its reputation amongst teens, with many of these action sports touted to be amongst the events at the youth Olympics.
Mr Rogge stated:
“Just as the IOC has known, over our 100-plus years of existence, how to move with the times - so we must now adapt to meet the taste of today’s young generation.”

It is not yet known where the first Youth Olympics will be held, but 6 cities have already applied, and in line with tradition, they will be held every 4 years.

New Wave of hope for British Surfing

Sport England, in conjunction with the British Surfing Association (BSA), has announced that a £94,000 boost will see the funding of a new Regional Surf Development Coach within the South West. The position and the funding has been created to strengthen the quality of surf coaching that is available across the area and to build the crucial surf club structure which is integral to the growth of surfing as a regular sporting activity amongst people of all ages.

It is estimated that there are 500,000 surfers in the UK and over 52% of this number reside in the South West. Surfing forms a crucial part of the economy for the South West and at least 95% of Britain’s top surfers either come from the South West or have chosen to reside there.

Whilst there are a number of successful, strong surf clubs currently in existence, in recent years this important part of the UK sporting structure has eroded and the new three year position will see a person who is dedicated to the redevelopment of this area and a continual building of the style and quality of surf coaching that is available for people of all ages throughout the region.

The South West Regional Sports Board is supporting the BSA with a Regional Development Coach, as it has also done for women’s rugby, netball and swimming, via Community Investment Funding. The aim is to support these sports by identifying coaching gaps within their player pathways and to help plug these gaps through investment into coaching at the appropriate level.

The new position will be based in the BSA’s headquarters at Fistral Beach, Newquay, however the Regional Surf Development Coach will travel the length and breadth of the South West to examine the current structure and build a strong, new system.

The post will see the successful applicant working in consultation with the BSA National Director, to write and deliver an agreed strategic development programme to create and maintain an active surf club culture and network in the South West and to subsequently increase grass roots participation numbers in surfing.

Karen Walton, National Director of the BSA says, “The news that we had been given this invaluable grant is a major boost for the organisation and for British surfing. It has been over ten years since the BSA received any significant form of government backing so this new funding is a great opportunity for us to begin to build and strengthen the current structure and take the standards of surf coaching to a new level.

The new Regional Surf Development Coach will form a key part of our team in the South West and will bring new value and opportunities to current and potential surfers across the region. We’re looking forward to receiving applications and seeing the post become a reality.”

Jim Clarke, Sport England Regional Director says, "We are delighted to be supporting the BSA with this exciting new position which will help to support the development of surf coaches and coaching across the SW region. Sport England exists to sustain and increase participation in community sport, and we hope that this project will help to achieve both of these aims."

Above: Karen Walton, Barry Hall, Sam Limeroy, Tony Good Photo: Ralph Rutter/Event Media

Nike ACG Sweetspots are coming

Check out the teaser for Nike ACG's upcoming campaign, Sweetspots. It's a collection of films to be shown exclusively on www.nikeacg.com starring the likes of Andreas Hatveit and Henning Marthinsen. They have been filmed by the best in the business including Absinthe, Blank Paper Studio and PoorBoyz Productions.

You'll be able to find all of the above and more on www.nikeacg.com from 1st October, including UK pipe slayer Paddy Graham.

Jake Brown - Unbelievable @ X Games

ESPN X Games announces first ever X Games Global Simulcast

ESPN’s X Games, the world’s premier action sport franchise, has just announced the first ever worldwide simulcast of the opening of an X Games. Scheduled for Thursday August 2, 2007 at 9 p.m. ET, the first five minutes of X Games 13 will air live simultaneously on ESPN in the U.S. and 18 ESPN International networks around the globe reaching 267 million viewers in 145 countries. The entire opening show, as well as an additional 40 hours of X Games 13 coverage, will also be webcast on EXPN.com. Action sports fans in Australia, Asia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South America, Taiwan and the U.S. will share in the excitement as the world’s leading action sports event kicks off its annual competition in Los Angeles Aug. 2-5, 2007. This year the event will feature more than 150 of the world’s best athletes competing in BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally Car Racing. “We are thrilled to be able to bring the excitement of X to action sports fans around the world in this unprecedented multiplatform, multi-network effort,” said by Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, general manager, ESPN Consumer Products and X Games Franchise Managing Director. “We believe that the support and enthusiasm for the X Games brand truly transcends cultures and borders, and what better way to show that than with this unique showcase of X Games 13.” The opening of X Games 13 will feature memorable X highlights including last year’s unforgettable, world-record setting double back flip from Travis Pastrana. The opening will also be streamed live on www.expn.com and via broadband at ESPN360.com and ESPN360 Mexico. Also showcased on the ABC SuperSign Times Square in New York City, this opening will be seen by more than 32 million tourists annually.