YOG Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline gymnasts …

YOG Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline gymnasts took up practice in their respective training venues in Singapore on Wednesday, while officials and judges held meetings in preparation for the Games. The competition venue at Bishan Sports Hall has been set up for Men’s Artistic and is ready to welcome the boys who start Podium Training this afternoon.

Orientation Meeting

In an orientation meeting held last night at Bishan Sports Hall, the chefs de mission for 51 Artistic Gymnastics delegations were officially welcomed by the FIG and SYOGOC, and received updates on competition procedures.

FIG Vice-President Michel Léglise (FRA) gave a warm welcome to everyone and reminded team officials of the two pillars that characterise the Youth Olympic Games: performance / competition and culture / education. When the idea of creating Olympic Games for the youth was born and finalised on 2007 at the 119th IOC session in Guatemala City (GUA), equal importance was given to both activities. This concept matches well with the FIG’s focus on and dedication to the development of young people, and Léglise is convinced that these Games will provide fantastic competitions in conjunction with great learning opportunities for young athletes.

Hong Chuang Lee (SIN), SYOGOC Competition Manager for Gymnastics, stressed that this is the first international gymnastics competition of such magnitude to be hosted in Singapore, but that his team is well prepared and will do everything within its power to set an ideal framework for both athletes and officials.
Lee went over organisational details concerning the competitions, before introducing Eugene Wong, SYOGOC Venue Manager of Marina Barrage, responsible for the Cultural and Educational Programme (CEP) at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.

Wong gave a short overview of the seven different formats of CEP activities, including Chat with Champions, Discovery Activity, World Culture Village, Community Project, Arts and Culture, Island Adventure and Exploration Journey. With the exception of the Exploration Journey and the Island Adventure, all activities are based in the Youth Olympic Village (YOV) and athletes can take part without prior registration at times when they are not practicing or competing. Participation in the CEP programme is not mandatory, but athletes are encouraged to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to get together and experience a host of new things alongside fellow young athletes in a non-competitive environment.

With the value of a healthy lifestyle and the dangers of doping also CEP topics, Léglise stressed that doping tests will be conducted in Singapore. He advised team officials to always consult with delegation doctors should they have doubts regarding the use of any medication. Léglise also talked about the Therapeutic Use Exception (TUE) procedure.

Finally, FIG TC Presidents for Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, Adrian Stoica (ROU) and Nellie Kim (BLR) respectively, stood by for a Question and Answer session and wished all participants good luck for the upcoming competitions.

Junior male Artistic gymnasts are the first to take the floor at the competition venue during today’s Podium Training.

YOG : Gymnastics and studies keep Brazil’s Arthur Mariano busy

Brazilian Arthur Mariano took up Artistic Gymnastics when he was 11 after watching the sport on television and deciding to try it. His natural ability shone through immediately, and his international debut came only three years later at the 2009 Pan American Junior Championships.

Mariano, who is from the Campinas municipality in the interior of Sao Paulo state, has a busy life – he trains six hours a day and balances his gymnastic activities with his studies. He says he looks forward to sleeping and finding the time to play on his computer.

He is hoping to win a medal at the Youth Olympics, and feels his best chance is probably in his favourite discipline, the Vault.

source: YONS od/gs

YOG : Viktoria Komova feels pressure of great Russian legacy

Coming from a country with a reputation for producing many of the world’s best gymnasts, Russia’s Viktoria Komova is feeling the pressure to perform well at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

With Olympic and World Champions such as Svetlana Khorkina, Alexei Nemov and Elena Zamolodchikova, Russia has been a powerhouse in the sport.

“It is a big responsibility being the only Russian gymnast competing (in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics),” Komova said. “There is a lot of pressure on my shoulders because I won the European Junior Championships.”

Komova had an impressive showing at the 2010 European Junior Gymnastics Championships in Birmingham, England, where she won three Gold medals including the All-around title that helped secure her spot in Singapore.

She expects a similar result in the days ahead. “I hope I will earn a medal either in the All-around or on an apparatus and hopefully it will be Gold.”

A gymnast since she was four years old, Komova was born into the sport. Her mother, Vera Kolesnikova, was the 1986 Goodwill Games All-around Champion and her father and brother were gymnasts as well.

“My mother was my coach during the first three years after I started Artistic Gymnastics,” she said.

At the age of seven, she switched coaches. Although there have been several times in her life when she has considered quitting the sport, she says her decision to stick with it was the right one. “Now gymnastics is my life,” she said. “I can’t imagine my life without it.”

After the Youth Olympic Games, Komova will rest. Her preparations for the 2011 European and World Championships will start at the beginning of next year.

“I want to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics and maybe for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics,” she said.

Komova’s first appearance at the Youth Olympic Games will be on August 17, when the Women Artistic Gymnastics competions start at the Bishan Sports Hall.

source: YONS yw/dj/ji/sg

YOG: Milne battling the badminton odds in Singapore

UP AGAINST IT: Sarah Milne admits the luck of the draw is against her at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

The 18-year-old is the sole British badminton representative in the Far East having earned selection by taking bronze at the European qualification event in Denmark in March.

However a disappointing World Junior Championships a month later in Mexico could cost Milne dear with seeding for the Youth Olympics based on the April event.

Milne suffered further heartache shortly after returning to the UK after being forced to go under the knife to repair an injured knee.

Milne has since recovered and after overcoming that setback she is adamant she can overcome the odds stacked against her and do herself justice in the Lion City.

“The way they are doing the tournament is going to be quite difficult because the seedings are all based on the World Championships and I had a bad draw in that,” said Milne.

“I made the last 32 at the World Championships but I had a bad draw and that is just one of those things.

“So it’s going to be hard but if I can perform then I know I can have a good tournament and maybe be challenging for a semi-final or a final spot.

“I am feeling really excited about Singapore now because I am injury free, feeling good and I just want to play badminton now.

“I had a really good surgeon who sorted me out and there is no pain now or anything which is great. I haven’t had any pain since just a week after the operation.”

Milne won’t have to wait long to take to the court in the Far East with the badminton competition beginning on the first Sunday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

And Milne – who is part of a 39-strong British Youth Olympic team – insists she has left nothing to chance in her preparations.

“Preparation has been good, I have come out of rehab and everything has been fine,” said Milne. “I’ve been working hard with my coach just getting my game right and working on other people’s games so hopefully I’ll peak for the Olympics.

“I would love to get to the latter stages of the tournament, semi-finals, finals – that would be really good – but I mainly want to perform and feel good with my game.

“With draws, you don’t know what it is going to be like so you just have to aim to perform as best as you can.”

YOG : Canadian gymnasts ready to challenge for medals at first-ever Youth Olympics

Canada’s gymnastics team expects to be challenging for medals in most events at the first-ever Olympic Youth Games to be held in Singapore August 14-26.

Leading the way are artistic gymnasts Robert Watson of Coquitlam, B.C, and Madeline Gardiner of Cambridge, Ont., trampolinists Mariah Madigan of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Curtis Gerein of Kelowna, B.C., and rhythmic gymnast Maria Kitkarska of Montreal.

Competing in the rythmic gymnastics group event are Melodie Omidi and Katrina Cameron, both of Mississauga, Ont., and sisters Angelika and Victoria Reznik of Toronto.

For the entire Canadian team, qualifying for the Youth Olympics has been a major stepping stone on the way to the ultimate goal of competing at an Olympic Games.

For some, like Watson and Gardiner, who are both in the running for a spot at the 2012 Summer Games, the Youth Olympics will give them a taste of what to expect at large multi-sport competition.

“I’m really excited about this competition,” says Watson, a national-junior team member who won a silver medal on rings competing as a senior at the Canadian championships in May.

“My goal is too keep things really simple, hit all my routines and challenge for a medal in the all around and a few individual events.”

In the women’s gymnastics competition, Gardiner has added two new moves to her uneven bars routine and has been working hard on consistency on beam, floor, and vault.

“This is my big goal for the year, it’s more real every day now that the start of the Games is getting so close,” said Gardiner, ranked second all around at the 2010 Canadian senior championships. “It’s very motivating competing against the best in the world.”

In trampoline Madigan, the 2010 Canadian women’s youth champion, and Gerein, winner of the men’s individual title at the Canada Cup last month, are both honing their skills with the goal of earning a much coveted spot at a future Olympics after the 2012 London Games.

“The really big goal for me is the Olympic Games, so this is going to be a a huge step in that direction,” says Madigan, who showed her great potential when she finished third behind Olympic veterans Karen Cockburn and Rosannagh MacLennan in an open field earlier this year at the Elite Canada meet.

“Whenever I compete, I always pretend I’m competing as a senior, even if I am in the youth division,” says Madigan. “I want to know how my scores compare and set a high standard for myself.”

Canada’s rhythmic gymnastics squad will have a double chance at medals with entry’s in both the individual and group events.

“We’ve been training really hard all summer,” said group team member Katrina Cameron.

“We’re hoping to come up with a really good routine and win a bronze medal.”

The Youth Olympics will attract 3,600 athletes between the age of 14 and 18 from 200 countries competing in 26 sports. The full Canadian team includes 39 women and 21 men competing in 18 sports.

source: Gymnastics Canada

YOG: Golding to build on Junior Wimbledon success in Singapore

ON THE RISE: Oliver Golding made his breakthrough at Junior Wimbledon this year but will bid to go one better at the Youth Olympic Games (Getty Images)

Golding has enjoyed mercurial rise since opting to hit balls rather than learn lines, attending every major Grand Slam and becoming the youngest British junior number one, aged 15, since 2005.

Now 16, Golding achieved the best result of his career on his second Junior Wimbledon appearance in July, beating world number one Jason Kubler before falling to Australian Benjamin Mitchell in the semi-finals.

Such performances rank Golding 29th in this year’s junior world rankings just inside the top 32 that qualify to travel to Singapore for the first ever Youth Olympics

And Golding – who is the sole tennis player on the 39-strong British team – is adamant his trip to the Lion City will eclipse everything he has achieved on or off the court to date.

“I’m looking forward to competing at the Youth Olympics because it’s going to be a great experience,” said Golding – who begins his campaign at the Kallang Tennis Centre on Sunday.

“Tennis is an individual sport and you don’t get much of a chance to compete as part of a team so it’s going to be a great experience for me and something I will remember forever.

“I did quite well at Wimbledon this year so I’m feeling good about myself and hopefully I can bring back a gold medal.

“I haven’t really set myself any specific targets. Obviously I’d love to come home with a medal but if I don’t it’s just to make the most of the experience.

“If I am on top of my game then I’ve definitely got a chance of winning. I play against the same guys all year so they all know me and I know them so hopefully I can play my best tennis and if I do, I have got a great chance.

YOG : Australian Youth Sailors Training For The Youth Olympic Games

Queensland’s Madison Kennedy and Western Australia’s Mark Spearmanhave been busy training to get ready for competition in Singapore from 14 – 26 August.

The pair secured their positions in Australia’s first ever Youth Olympic Games team at the 2010 OAMPS Insurance Brokers Australian Youth Championship in January and their excitement is rising as the countdown to competition continues.

‘I’m really looking forward to the Youth Olympic Games,’ said Spearman. ‘All of it from the Opening Ceremony to competing in the sailing, I definitely want to meet Usain Bolt while I am there but don’t want to get distracted too much by celebrity spotting.’

Kennedy is also looking forward to hitting the water in Singapore after months of training at home in Queensland.

‘I knew it was coming up but I didn’t get really excited until I received my uniform in the mail the other day,’ said Kennedy. ‘That’s when reality and my excitement really kicked in.’

‘I’m definitely looking forward to the atmosphere of the whole games, the athlete’s village, the overseas athletes, just the whole experience is going to be amazing,’ she said.

The Australian pair has had a difficult lead up to the Games as they will be competing in an unfamiliar boat, the Byte CII. There are very few Byte’s in Australia and no racing fleets, requiring Kennedy and Spearman to head to Singapore earlier this year to race the boat for the first time and in recent months have finally been able to train on their home waters aboard the Byte.

‘It was tough-going at the start as Australia had hardly heard of Byte CII’s and I had only seen these boats in photos off the internet,’ said Kennedy. ‘The boat I received to train in had been sitting, unused, at Woollahra Sailing Club in Sydney for a while, and had quite a lot of maintenance to be done on it. I have been training with proper gear for only about a month now but despite of all the bad luck I have been training hard.’

Spearman has also had to work hard to get time aboard the Byte; ‘Because we don’t sail the Byte C11 in Australia and I have been unable to train with anyone else, I went to Singapore for a week in the school holidays and did some training there with a Singaporean coach who also sailed on the Byte C11 which helped a lot.’

Kennedy and Spearman will be joined in Singapore by Australian Coach Ben Callard who has been working closely with the sailors for the past few months.

‘Madison and Mark’s preparations are coming along well,’ said Callard. ‘They are both dedicated young sailors and have been putting in a lot of time and hard work in preparation for the Youth Olympic Games. Last school holidays Mark returned to Singapore at cost to his parents for a week’s training at the venue with local sailors and Madison participated in the Queensland High Performance Squad training which was then followed by Queensland Youth Week and the Australian Mid Winter Youth Nationals which has put both of them in a good position.’

‘Both Sailors have had to firstly find a Byte CII in Australia to sail,’ he said ‘This caused many problems with the quality of the Byte’s in Australia and new parts had to be sourced from overseas.’

‘Madison, Mark and I travelled to Singapore in June for three days of training prior to participating in the Singapore Byte CII National Championships, and this will prove to be one of the most important things in our overall preparation as it allowed for us as a team to get to know each other, learn about the Byte and also learn about the conditions in Singapore. Both sailors have also been working with their respective State High Performance Coaches and programs to try and best prepare.’

For Kennedy and Spearman the opportunity to represent Australia at such a young age and in such a large scale event is the opportunity of a lifetime and important to both of them.

‘I feel very proud to be representing Australia,’ said Spearman. ‘It’s an honour and I hope to represent Australia again later in life.’

Kennedy said; ‘I’ve been sailing since I was six-years old, and to have my 10th year of sailing be the year I represent Australia at the Youth Olympics Games is an amazing feeling and it feels like the last 10 years has really paid off.’

The inaugural Youth Olympic Games is also an important event for Coach Ben Callard who is having his first taste of coaching at this level.

‘Personally I see this as a great opportunity to continue my learning and development as a coach,’ said Callard. ‘I get to work with two of Australia’s best young athletes and help them continue their development and achieve success. Then to be involved in anything to do with an Olympic Games has that certain hype about it which will be a great experience and I’m stoked to be a part of it.’

For more information, please visit: www.yachting.org.au or www.olympics.com.au

Visit our Youth Olympic Games microsite at www.sailing.org/yog

YOG : Sprinter Bolarinwa selected to carry the flag for Great Britain

CHOSEN ONE: David Bolarinwa will carry the flag for Great Britain at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

The 16-year-old has clocked the fastest under-18 in the world this year, having crossed the line in 10.39 seconds earlier this month and will be among Great Britain’s best medal hopes in the Far East

Bolarinwa was selected as flag bearer by his fellow teammates in the 39-strong, who took part in a secret vote.

“I am very proud and excited to be selected by my teammates to lead out Team GB at the opening ceremony,” he said.

“It’s a massive honour for me to carry the flag and I am really looking forward to representing the rest of the team at the opening of the Games.

“There are so many talented athletes in the team; I wasn’t expecting to be chosen so I’m kind of shocked. It feels really good, like I’ve already won a medal. It’s definitely a great start to the Games.

“It will be a real privilege to join the flag bearers from all the other nations and share the experience of the Opening Ceremony of the first ever Youth Olympic Games.”

He was presented with the Union Flag by Britain’s most recent Olympic Champion, Vancouver 2010 skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams, and British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan during a reception for Team GB at the British High Commission in Singapore.

World diving champion and Beijing Olympian Tom Daley is the highest profile member of the British squad but will not arrive in the Far East until he has competed at the European Championships on Sunday.

Great Britain chef de mission Jon Paterson added: “David Bolarinwa is an excellent choice to carry the Union Flag and I am sure that he will lead his teammates with pride at the opening ceremony.

“It was great to see by his reaction that it meant a great deal to him.

“There is an excellent spirit already building within the Team GB camp and the fact that David was voted by his fellow athletes – a first for Team GB – makes it particularly special recognition.

“David will now enjoy a place in the history books as the first ever Youth Olympic Games Team GB flag bearer

YOG : US SAILING Sends Two Windsurfers to Inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

Two youth windsurfers Margot Samson and Ian Stokes have qualified to represent the United States at the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, US SAILING’s Olympic Sailing Committee announced today.

They join the U.S. Youth Olympic Team of 82 athletes competing in 18 sports, the maximum number of qualified U.S. athletes. The 12-day event kicks off this Saturday, 14 August, with an elaborate Opening Ceremony and torch relay.

The Youth Olympic Games is an international, multi-sport event held in conjunction with the International Olympic Committee that will take place every four years, consistent with the current format of the Olympic Games. This year, some 3,600 athletes, ages 14 to 18 and from 205 countries will compete in the 26 sports that will be featured at the 2012 Olympic Games. Per the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) qualification system for the sport of sailing, eligible athletes must have been born between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 1995.

Samson and Stokes qualified for the team at the 2010 Calema Midwinter Windsurfing Festival, where they were the highest finishing American male and female. The regatta was held in March in Merritt Island, Florida.

These two athletes have been training and competing under the watchful eye of Britt Viehman, who will also serve as Team Leader and Coach in Singapore. Viehman has been coaching Samson for the past two years and Stokes for the last year. He owns the North Beach Windsurfing School in Florida and has more than 12 years of windsurfing and teaching experience.

Samson, 16, first started windsurfing two years ago when her father introduced her to the sport, and she has been on a fast track ever since. Her competitive spirit, hard work and determination have propelled her from being a novice to a competitive player on the youth windsurfing circuit. Samson has pushed herself to be on par with her competitors in a short amount of time: She trains on the water three times a week with her team, practicing necessary skills such as transitioning, tacking and gybing and boat speed.

Succeeding at windsurfing takes more than just drills: It requires strong core strength and balance, as well as athleticism and agility, and Samson recognizes what it takes to be at the top of the game. She hits the gym six days a week for physical training sessions to improve her fitness. Two years ago, she struggled to do one push-up, but according to Viehman, “now she just cranks them out.”

Qualifying to represent the Unites States at the Youth Olympic Games is by far, her greatest achievement in her athletic career, and she hopes it will be the first step in her Olympic aspirations.

“It’s a big deal,” said Samson. “Watching the Olympics on television has always been a great inspiration. It’s an honour to be a part of it. We’re breaking new ground with the first ever Youth Olympic Games, and I’m so looking forward to the experience!”

For Stokes, 15, sailing in his blood: He grew up on the water in a family of avid competitive sailors. He quickly rose in the ranks of youth sailing, and by the age of 12, he dominated the Optimist class, a popular boat for junior sailors. He held the national champion title in 2007, in addition to winning several regional championships across the United States. When he grew out of the Optimist, he set his sights on a new challenge — windsurfing.

While he has only windsurfed competitively for the last year, he was able to apply his strong sailing skills to a new type of water sport. Coach Viehman says Stokes has innate talent, and he understands the game very well. “He also performs well under pressure,” said Viehman, which will help him succeed internationally where the stakes are even higher. Staying focused is also a key skill for athletes competing in a sport dictated by wind and weather conditions, and Stokes is able to find the figurative “light switch” to turn on when it’s race time.

Stokes windsurfs every day for at least three hours, practicing drills and boat speed. He also travels to Clearwater, Fla., to train with a youth windsurfing team coached by Viehman. He works out in the gym every day as well, mixing up cardio with weight training.

“The Youth Olympic Games is a great opportunity to make lifelong friendships and gain character as well as athletic skill,” said Stokes. “This is why I am stoked to be given the opportunity to compete in such a cool event.”

Visit our Youth Olympic Games microsite at www.sailing.org/yog

Olympic gold medallist appointed as new Cambridge coach

NEW COACH: Cambridge surprised favourites Oxford to win this year’s Boat Race. Steve Trapmore will coach the Light Blues in 2011 (Getty Images)

Trapmore has been appointed chief coach to the Light Blues, who surprised favourites Oxford to win this year’s race.

He spent eight years on the British team, with his gold medal success in Sydney the highlight, and has recently been head of rowing at Imperial College in London.

Cambridge president, Derek Rasmussen, said: “Steve Trapmore’s track record both as an athlete at the highest level and as coach speaks for itself.

“We are all looking forward to working with him in building on this year’s fabulous win. He will have the full confidence of the squad as we get ready to take on Oxford in the 2011 Xchanging Boat Race.”

Trapmore’s experience on the fabled stretch of Thames between Putney and Mortlake was another key element in his appointment.

“Steve is widely respected by athletes he has rowed with and coached, and has been developing a growing reputation as a coach at both Imperial College and within GB Rowing,” said Robin Waterer, Cambridge University Boat Club’s honorary treasurer.

“Importantly, Steve has a deep knowledge of the unique nature of the Boat Race’s challenging Championship Course between Putney and Mortlake as both an athlete and coach.”