India to bid for 2014 youth Olympics

PUNE: India will bid to host the first ever Youth Olympic Games, to be introduced in 2014 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said here on Sunday.

Kalmadi said the IOC has been giving a lot of stress on the youth of the world and hence they have decided to introduce the Youth Olympic Games in addition to the Summer and Winter Olympics, to not only promote the Olympic sports but also have their total involvement in sports activities.

Expressing great optimism, Kalmadi, who heades the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games to be held at the Shiv Chhatarapati Sports City Mahalunge-Balewadi near here from October 12 to 18 next year, said India will certainly come out successful in its bidding after having been entrusted with responsibilities of hosting the 2008 CYG in Pune and later the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

He said he hopes that the IOA will be channelising all its efforts in bidding for the 2020 Olympic Games in the country. The bidding for the games will start in 2011 and the final decision would be taken in 2013, Kalmadi informed.

He said all the nine venues for the ensuing 2008 CYG will be completed and handed over to the Games Organising Committee on May 31 next year. ''I have no doubt that the work has been going on in a fierce pace despite the onslaught of the monsoon. It would be completed much before the due date,'' Kalmadi elaborated.

This will give us the much needed time to test all the venues by hosting competitions in each of the nine disciplines namely -- athletics, swimming, tennis, badminton, shooting, boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and table tennis.

With the exception of the new stadias being built for conducting badminton, table tennis, wrestling and weightlifting, work on other venues have been completed by over 30 per cent, he said.

The Pune 2008 CYG will serve as the trails for the prestigious 2010 Commonwealth Games and has surpassed the earlier two editions held in Edinbrough in Scotland in 2000 and the scond held at Bendigo in Australia in 2004. It has attracted all the 71 commonwealth countries, featuring about 2000 sportspersons and officials, he said.

A high level meeting of Committees of Secretaries (COS) is being held in Delhi on July 27 this year to review the  important pending issues and progress made towards the preparation for the CYG.

Secretaries from ministries of Home, Youth Affairs and Sports, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Urban Development, Tourism, Civil Aviation, Commerce and the Planning Commission will be attending the meeting.

Chief Secretary Government of Maharashtra Johnny Joseph, Principal secretary Urban Development of Maharashtra government T C Benjamin and DG,Youth Games Organising Committee of the CYG will make presentation on sports infrastructure, civic infrastructure and the conduct of the games respectively.