IOC: 17 countries keen to host Youth Olympics

At least 17 countries, including the United States and others from Africa and Latin America, have expressed interest in hosting future editions of the Youth Olympic Games from 2018.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams stated that due to the size of the Youth Olympic Games, about a third the scale of a Summer Games, it is more attractive to cities with smaller budgets.

Adams explained "that's why there is interest from cities which would probably never have thought of getting involved and could never see themselves as serious contenders for staging an Olympic event."

The growing interest in hosting the Youth Olympics has been attributed to the IOC stressing that host cities use existing sports infrastructure to avoid creating grandiose but little used venues after the Games â a problem that has plagued past Summer Olympic hosts, included recent hosts Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008).

Inaugural hosts Singapore, whose Games started on 14th August and finish tomorrow, beat 10 other cities in the final vote to host the 2010 Games.

The Chinese city of Nanjing will host the next Youth Olympic Games in 2014 and Innsbruck, Austria, will open its doors to the inaugural Youth Olympic Winter Games in 2012.

4th August 2010 - SINGAPORE SET FOR INAUGURAL YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

12th February 2010 - NANJING AWARDED 2014 YOUTH OLYMPICS 

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