NEWS

Inaugural Youth Olympic Games 99 Days Away

By Brad Culp | 07 May, 2010

The opening ceremony of the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore is only 99 days away. The inaugural event will kick off on August 14, featuring 26 sports throughout 12 days of competition. ITU is excited to have triathlon events on three days of competition. The girls individual triathlon is scheduled for the first day of competition on August 15, with the boys individual triathlon to follow on August 16. Athletes competing in the individual competition will complete a sprint-distance triathlon (750-metre swim, 20K bike, 5K run).

A 4 x mixed relay triathlon is also on the schedule for Singapore and will take place on August 19. The relay event will be a continental relay instead of national relay. Teams will be comprised of two boys and two girls, with each Continental Federation fielding at least one team. Each of the four participants in the relay will complete a 250-metre swim, 7K bike and 1.7K run.

In total, 286 triathletes representing 67 nations participated in qualifying events for the Youth Olympic Games. A total of 64 athletes will participate in the Youth Olympic Games Triathlon (32 men and 32 women). All athletes in the triathlon competition must be between 17 and 18 years old. 

The Youth triathlon will be staged in East Coast Park, Singapore’s largest and most popular public park. East Coast Park has hosted the Singapore International Triathlon since 2002, which annually draws almost 4,000 competitors. Athletes will complete the swim in the open sea before taking to the roads of the park for the biking and running portions of the race.

A total of 3,600 youth athletes are expected to participate in the Youth Olympic Games, drawing an estimated 500,000 spectators to Singapore.

For more information on the Youth Olympic Games, visit singapore2010.sg