The International Olympic Committee must adapt to changing attitudes of young people if it wants to stay relevant and battle falling interest among youths for the Olympic Games, its president said on Tuesday.
Email this Page
With the average age of Olympics viewers increasing in recent years and youngsters turning fast to other sports competitions like the X Games, the IOC has to change, Jacques Rogge said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the IOC's 119th session in Guatemala City, Rogge said staging Youth Olympics, an event designed to raise the level of enthusiasm and participation of teenagers, was a step in the right direction.
"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," Rogge said.
Image: The USA Olympic trials for BMX at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
Text: Reuters | Photographs: Getty Images
Advertisement
